


Heretic Song

by WiggityFresh



Series: Persona: Shadows of the Goddess [3]
Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series, Shin Megami Tensei Series, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Horror, Chatting & Messaging, Demons, Dreams and Nightmares, Just as wild as the first go around. Whoops., Lovecraftian Monster(s), Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 73,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27715733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiggityFresh/pseuds/WiggityFresh
Summary: Thirteen demons. Cries from another world. Vacant dreams. Foreign monsters. Rogue Personas.Two years after the 'demonic invasion' in Tokyo, things have begun to settle down. News outlets, with some prodding from powerful forces, have begun to delegitimize both the existence of demons, and the groups of powerful humans known as 'Persona users'. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts have become nothing more than a public rumor, and the Kirijo Group has officially re-partnered with the Nanjo Group.Amamiya Ren finds himself plagued by bizarre dreams as he tries to spend the summer with his friends, Sakura Futaba's Persona begins to going haywire, and the 14-year old Dojima Nanako has chosen to visit Tokyo for her summer vacation alongside Teddie (as a 'responsible supervisor') for their first real taste of non-Inaba fun. Still, she finds her vacation thrown asunder when trouble stews in the big city once more.Follow up/side-story to 'Ground Zero' and 'Dark Sun' focusing on the fissions created by the actions of 'Dark Sun'.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Persona: Shadows of the Goddess [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1451398
Comments: 49
Kudos: 50





	1. Arrival --- Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nanako and Teddie arrive and Tokyo, and take their first big steps into adventure.
> 
> There's only fun and excitement in store! Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a work of fiction.
> 
> Similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead in your world are purely coincidental.
> 
> The **dead** do not walk the Earth. **Demons** do not roam the streets. The **Unknown** is not to be trifled with. The **'Gateway'** is nothing more than a legend, and the **'Key'** is nothing more than a myth.
> 
> Reality is as it seems. Reality is as it seems. Reality is as it seems. Reality is as it seems. Reality--
> 
> **This story is a work of fiction. Do you agree? Then continue forth.**
> 
> ...
> 
> ..
> 
> .

_‘...I have the same dream often._

_I’m somewhere beautiful. A place made from pristine marble and glistening foliage. Roads paved with gold, and rainbows shining from every cloud._

_Heaven. I’m in Heaven._

_A place so beautiful, that it should be a dream come true to just exist. Whatever happiness is, I should be feeling it a thousand times over, feeling nothing but the beautiful bliss that comes with finally passing on and moving to the next life._

_...But it’s not there._

_I can’t breathe. Something- someone is holding me tight. Too tight. Too hard. Too strong. The happy clouds are mottled with deranged ramblings, my Heaven slowly becoming more and more corrupted by this… force. This creature that came into my happy place, and turned it into a place of nightmares. Monsters… vague monsters… shadowy monsters sloshing back and forth. They don’t hurt, but only because they don’t see me. They don’t hear my panicked breathing. They don’t see the tears coming from my eyes. If they saw, they would hurt me._

_If they saw me, they would kill me._

_I can’t breathe. I’m scared. My arms hurt. My eyes sting. My throat feels dry. I don’t want to yell, because then the monsters will hear me, and then everything will be over._

_If I can be good- if I can be careful for a few more moments, then maybe it’ll be okay. That’s what I think. That’s what I hope. I don’t know who will help me, but somebody has to. Somebody has to save me, because this is my Heaven, right? Time seems to linger on and on, the thing still holding on tight to my body. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Days…? It can’t be days, but at the same time, seconds feel like minutes, minutes feel like hours, and hours feel like days. So on, and so forth, forever and ever._

_But if I hold out for just a little bit longer, then Heaven will send an angel to save me. Because nothing bad can happen in Heaven, right?_

_My eyes hurt. My heart is beating too fast. I feel sick._

_I start to lose hope. Maybe God didn’t have an angel for me. Maybe I wasn’t a good girl after all. Maybe this wasn’t Heaven after all._

_That’s when he comes._

_I can’t breathe. I feel dizzy. It’s hard to see, but I know he’s there._

__’Big bro…’_ _

_An angel. Even when my eyes are blurry, I can make out his shape. He’s standing strong, in front of his friends. All of them are there, my angels. The ones that made life less lonely. One less day waiting in front of the television. One less day waiting for Dad to call. One less day waiting for someone, anyone to come home._

_No more waiting. No more lonely days. No more lonely nights._

_I find myself falling, before he catches me. Big Bro is holding me tight. His nails squeezing into my arm, his face buried into my shoulder. He’s whispering. Whispering for me to stay strong, that everything will be okay. I hear more voices. Cries of anger, cries of happiness. I can feel the monsters coming closer, but I know everything will be okay. For a moment, Big Bro carries me like a baby, before putting me down somewhere safe._

_It’s hard to keep my eyes open. My vision is blurry and dark, but I see him. My angel. He would never admit it, but that’s what he had to be. He was sent from somewhere far away to make other people happy. To make me happy._

_He pulls out a sword and it shines, and he runs out to fight the monsters that turned my Heaven into a Hell. And I know he’ll be alright. I just know it._

_Because Big Bro is the strongest in the world, and he’ll be there for me. No matter what.’_

…

The girl's eyes slowly drifted open, staring out a window as buildings rushed by, the world of her dream slowly being pushed to the back of her memory. She felt someone nudge her shoulder gently, as she turned to look at the person next to her. A boy with windswept blonde hair stared at her with a bright smile, a beat-up phone in one hand. He seemed to be in the middle of texting.

“Did you have a good nap, Nana-chan?” Teddie asked with a grin. “You looked like you were having sweet dreams. Were you dreaming of Teddie?”

Dojima Nanako made a noise halfway between a yawn and a snort, rubbing her eyes. “No… well, maybe. I think you were there…” She mumbled, more to herself than to the boy next to her. She heard Teddie huff, and looked over to watch him wrap his arms around his chest indignantly.

“You think? Nana-chan, I can’t believe you!” The bear yelled with faux offense, before wiping his eyes. “You ‘think’? Teddie isn’t memorable enough to stay in your dreams? I’m hurt, Nana-chan. Wounded! Pained! It’s un-bear-able!” He whined, drawing the attention of other passengers who were less amused than Nanako was. She reached out, poking him in the stomach until his fake cries turned into real laughter.

“I’m sorry, Teddie. The next dream I have, you’ll be the star!” She promised, although she wasn’t exactly sure that’s how dreams worked. It was enough to satisfy Teddie however, who gave her a satisfied nod and ruffled her hair with both his hands, before returning to his phone. Nanako giggled, looking back out the window. It was hard to believe that Teddie was supposed to be older than her. He and his friends had never mentioned how old Teddie was, but he had a job and everything, so he had to be pretty old. Yosuke mentioned that Teddie had some weird disease called ‘Empty-Head-Itis’ that made it so that he aged really slow and that his brain actually aged backwards, and then Teddie yelled something back and they started bickering like usual. 

She glanced over at Teddie’s phone, idly reading the text conversation that he was in the midst of.

* * *

>   
>  **SENSEI:** Teddie.  
>  **SENSEI:** Teddie.  
>  **SENSEI:** TEDDIE.  
>  **KUMA :o3:** i’m here sensei!!!! reporping for duty!!!!!!  
>  **SENSEI:** How is she?? Is the train ride too bumpy???? TEDDIE  
>  **Yo-Suke:** You’re weird, yu  
>  **Yo-Suke:** You’re being weird about nanako.  
>  **Chiechan <3:** yeah! she’ll be fine! after all she’s with t  
>  **Chiechan <3:** uh oh.  
>  **SENSEI:** ……….teddie take her home NOW  
>  **KUMA :o3:** such little faith!!!! nana-cha is fine! say hi nanachan!  
> 

* * *

He handed his phone over to her, watching as she quickly typed something and handed it back.

* * *

>   
>  **Kuma :o3:** “Hi Big Bro!” - Nanako  
>  **SENSEI:** Hi Nanako! Remember to call me and uncle Dojima when you get settled! Big bro loves you! Be safe! Don’t go to the red light district! Don’t talk to anybody you don’t know! Look both ways at least three times before crossing any roads! Don’t fall for any scams! Use the mace your dad gave you liberally!  
>  **Kan-jicture:** christ. u are weird about her  
>  **Yukiyuki:** Not to bring up the P-1 Grand Prix but…  
>  **Naochan:** ITS HER 1ST TRIP OUT OF INABA W/O A PARENT  
>  **Naochan:** ITS JUSTIFIED  
>  **SENSEI:** This is why Naoto’s my favorite.  
>  **~Risette~:** :)  
>  **SENSEI:**...second favorite.  
>  **Yo-Suke:** :)  
>  **SENSEI:**...third favorite?  
>  **Kuma :o3:** :)  
>  **SENSEI:** third favorite.  
>  **Kuma :o3:** :(  
>  **~Risette~:** Take good pictures and get some good souvenirs, Nanako! I’ll keep ‘big bro’ on a tight leash while you’re away. <3  
>  **Chiechan <3:** anyway tokyo is really fun! i had a good time when i went there last!  
>  **Yo-Suke:** Last time we went to Tokyo it was the freakin apocolips.  
>  **Yo-Suke:** Appocolyps.  
>  **Kan-jicture:** take ur time  
>  **Yo-Suke:** I don’t want to hear that from you!!  
>  **Naochan:** APOCALYPSE, N THAT ISNT APPROPRIATE TO DISCUSS WITH NANAKO  
>  **Yukiyuki:** What they mean, Nanako, is to have fun but stay safe. I’ll put in some good prayers for you at the shrine. We’ll have Teddie send us pictures of all the landmarks you all visit.  
> 

She giggled. She enjoyed catching bits and pieces of Big bro’s conversations with his friends. Her own friends were fun, but they weren’t nearly as weird. Still, this was her first real trip to a big city. Most people who lived in Inaba… didn’t really leave Inaba. It was a small town, and while there wasn’t a whole lot to do, there wasn’t a whole lot people wanted either. To be perfectly honest, she hadn’t even considered heading out to a big place like Tokyo until her Big bro had come in. After all, he was a ‘city boy’, and while he wasn’t from Tokyo, Tokyo was one of Japan’s premiere cities.

It was notable for a number of reasons. Famous landmarks, popular stores, and the amount of modern history around it was astounding. Especially urban legends like the Phantom Thieves. She had been one of the people that ended up hearing a ton of stuff about them second-hand, and the more rumors she heard, the more mythical they became. Dashing heroes that flipped through the dark Tokyo subways, hunting down criminals. Dangerous renegades that could flip society on its head. Demons from another world that were planning on taking over the universe. The fact that people- that things like that existed in Tokyo was amazing in its own right.

She knew that they probably weren’t real, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t exciting!

Besides, she had more reasons to come here than some urban legend. Especially with the amount of work she had to put in to even get the train tickets. She had made a deal with her dad- after months of haggling and begging and pleading and crying- that she would go to Tokyo for her summer vacation one year. She just needed to work part-time in order to build up at least half of the funds for the trip, and he would help pay the rest. The deal also included no outside help from her big brother’s friends- mainly because he knew that the second they caught wind of their deal she would have ‘somehow’ gotten the funds in a couple weeks instead of several months. Still, it wasn’t her fault that Junes just happened to have a register slot open, and the Amagi Inn needed some extra help cleaning rooms and maintaining the hot springs. 

...It was nice having people look out for her.

Still, she wanted to be more independent. She had brought up the idea that she could go to Tokyo alone, but the look her dad gave her could have been summed up as ‘scary’, so she quickly backpedaled from that idea and suggested a chaperone. Via process of elimination- mainly ‘who could drop work without losing anything substantial’, it seemed like Teddie was the only option. Her cousin was back in his hometown, and everyone else had work. So, the two of them were off to the big city. She was a little happy that Teddie was able to go with her, out of everyone. He was the easiest to talk to, and also the least fussy out of all of them.

She shifted in her train seat. She hadn’t realized how long she had been crammed into it.

“Sore butt?” Teddie asked. “It happens. Luckily, we’re practically there, look!” He pointed out the window, and she got a glimpse of the city. Just like the books, or on television. Tokyo from a distance was beautiful, especially as the setting sun began to glint off of the buildings, and the bright neon lights began to click on. She pressed her face against the glass, her eyes wide.

“...Wow… so this is the big city…”

Teddie pressed his face against the glass, right next to hers.

“Yep! Hehe, it’s pretty when there isn’t anything weird going on.” He pulled back and reached around his waist, eventually pulling around a fanny pack. “Now, let’s see… your dad gave us money for a cab fare and the hotel location. Huh, I wonder where’s a good spot to get dinner…”

Teddie’s voice slowly began to drown out, as Nanako found herself entranced by the city as they drew closer. The buildings in Inaba felt so… small in comparison, almost like a doll house. And she was a doll that had been plucked from her tiny playset into a bigger, more expensive one. She wondered if this was the type of scenery that her big brother saw daily. Was it as breathtaking to him as it was to her? Did he feel the same way about small towns that she felt about big cities? 

The train slowed to a halt as she hopped up, both her and Teddie frantically grabbing their luggage and running to hop out the train as fast as possible- to the irritation and dismay of the other passengers. She sprang out of the train car, her sneakers hitting the cold ground. She looked around, hands grasping onto Teddie’s sleeve as he fumbled with the contents of his fanny pack. 

There were so many people in the train station alone! Inaba’s station felt like a ghost town in comparison. She felt herself jittering, although that might have been the cold air. Before she had a chance to reach in her bag to grab a jacket, she felt herself being nudged and pushed forward by the locals, who didn’t seem to have the same patience for admiring the sights as her. Teddie quickly caught up, luckily.

“I can’t lose you now, Nana-chan! Sensei would have my head, and making a new Teddie-suit is hard!” He said, as the two of them continued forward.

Soon enough, they found themselves out of the train station and onto the streets. Teddie frowned. “Hey, your dad didn’t give us nearly enough for a cab! Tokyo is expensive! Huh, guess we’ll have to walk for a bit until we find the right subway.”

Walking… Nanako looked around. The lights seemed even brighter, now that she was up close. Her hands tightened around her bag, her heart beginning to pound. This was it. Her first real steps into a bigger, brighter, scarier world. She wasn’t sure if she was ready. But, whether she was ready or not...

“Huh? Is something wrong, Nana-chan? You’re crying.”

She blinked, before wiping her eyes. That was a bit embarrassing. “S...sorry, Teddie. It’s just…” She glanced toward the glistening city lights, before turning back to her chaperone with a wide smile. 

“I feel like this is going to be the best summer ever!”

  
[ END OF PROLOGUE ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE5t0lyCbQk)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving! Normally I wait until the summer to start posting long-form fics, but this'll 100% drag on until the summer anyways, so why not start early this time? Besides, some of you are like reading fics during the ol' Turkey Holiday anyways, because social interaction is draining.
> 
> This is it, for real this time. I toiled over and over on what to do as a sequel, considering Dark Sun ended up with the heroes killing God. So, I decided to change things up a bit. 
> 
> Also, this is definitely not something new readers can jump in without reading 'Ground Zero: Redux' and 'Dark Sun' first- in that order. This is a plot-heavy fic, guys- and my plots can get... VERY dense.
> 
> ANYWAYS. While the original fics were a love-letter to Persona/SMT as a whole, this is more me taking what I love about the series and characters, and getting kind of weird with it. Nothing too awful, especially considering how character deaths were received in Dark Sun, but still melding together different concepts and ideas.
> 
> As for the timeline, GZ/DS took place in the summer of 2017, and this takes place in 2019. So the PT's are older (Sumire being the youngest at 18, and Makoto being the oldest at 21). P5 Scramble took place in 2018, but the most that adds is the existence of characters like Sophia. Just for reference.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the ride!


	2. Meeting Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves reunite for the summer. Futaba looks around for old games.

A form clad in black runs through a darkened hall. All is silent, the dark figure’s footsteps barely making a sound. His piercing grey eyes are covered by dark, shaggy bangs that dull his sharp gaze. They dart back and forth as he finds himself pressed against one of the pitch black walls. The lights that ran across the floor and ceiling seemed to flash red for a moment, before dulling to a luminescent blue, and returning to the pitch black darkness that he was comfortable in.

Amamiya Ren, the Phantom Thief. The man who stole the hearts of the corrupt. The man who stole the wishes of the people. The man who had toppled gods. 

He reached into the heavy vest that hung on his torso, pulling out a phone. He spun it in his hands, clicking it on as it booted up. The image of a girl appeared on the screen. Her hair was an unnaturally bright red, with several heart-shaped objects floating off to the side of her head, resembling pigtails. She gave the owner of the phone a bright smile, as he looked around once more.

“Talk to me, Sophie.”

The virtual girl’s eyes flashed, a vibrant blue light illuminating the Phantom Thief’s face for a moment before she shook her head.

_”No aggressors in the immediate area. Based off their movement patterns, it seems they don’t know your location yet, Joker. Best course of action would be to hide in the outcropping due west.”_

“Got it.” He began moving once more, rolling into the shadows as two sets of footsteps grew closer. He watched as two figures, a man and a woman, sprinted past him as he ducked further into the specified outcropping in the strange layout of the building he was in. A far cry from the straight, narrow walls that made up most buildings. This was made up of various bridges and awkwardly slanting floors and walls, forcing confrontations on uneven terrain. 

_”Calm breaths, Joker. Your current rate of expiration is audible within several feet.”_

One of the footsteps he had heard earlier had slowed to a halt, slowly turning around and approaching him. He took in a deep gulp of air, before staying perfectly still. His arms trembled as they tried to remain in their perfectly still position, his eyes straining against the darkness. The only thing differentiating his pitch-black clothing from that of his hunters were streaks of dull, neon lighting outlining their forms. 

The steps drew closer.

He felt sweat beading down his face, one hand slowly reaching for the holster. He needed to be strategic about it. Moving too recklessly would make a scene, and draw more attention to him. Eliminating the target quickly and efficiently, and hoping for the least amount of noise would be the best course of action. The footsteps drew closer and closer, before finally passing by him entirely. He took the chance to dart out, unholstering his weapon and firing it, watching as his target turned around with wide eyes and grasped at where they had been shot, before dropping to the ground with dramatic flair. 

“Jackpot.”

He took the chance to run off in a different direction, opposite of where his opponents were heading. He had been picking them off one-by-one, so if he was doing his math properly, that only meant two more targets before he could claim his victory. He ran up on one of the strangely placed bridges, before grinding to a halt.

 _”Aggressors from both the north and south.”_ The A.I’s voice chirped from the pocketed phone. He grimaced, eyes narrowing. Had they figured out his own plan of attack? Or were they already thinking a few steps ahead of him. _”...Sorry, there’s a low chance of victory in this encounter. I should have been more aware of enemy placement.”_ The female voice continued, sounding more somber. Ren ran his hand through his hair with one hand, removing his weapon from its holster.

“Don’t worry, Sophie. I’m all about beating the odds.”

The two mentioned aggressors began running toward him, unholstering their own arms. He smirked, before leaping backwards off the bridge, firing two shots in opposite directions before hitting the shallow ground. A moment passed, before the lights flickered on, revealing that the entire arena had been made out of foam, and a neon sign blinked several words that caused Ren to pump his fist in the air, still laying on his back.

**’Team Red Wins.’**

“Okay, so the award for ‘Takes Laser Tag Too Freakin’ Seriously’ goes to Ren, right?” One of the ‘aggressors’ called out, looking down at Ren from the bridge before taking off his heavy, neon-laden laser-vest and tossing it on the thief.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Ryuji.” Ren called out, as the jacket landed flat on his face. He sat up, watching it fall into his lap. “What’s this, my third win in a row? Maybe you should get better.”

The other person who had planned the pincer came in from the left, gently kicking him with her foot. She pulled off her vest as well, shaking out her long blonde hair before frowning. “You only one because you had Sophia, Ren.” Takamaki Ann whined, tossing her own vest on top of Ren as he found himself falling on his back once more from the sudden weight. 

He looked up at her, his expression smug. “That was the deal. Me and Sophia versus the rest of you guys.”

“We would have found you earlier if Yusuke had freakin’ said something when he got shot!” Ryuji called out. “We had a whole plan, before realizing he was gone!”

The third attacker, who Ren had handily taken out earlier, finally stood up from his ‘death’ pose, shrugging nonchalantly. “I was following the instincts of Ren. If he was truly treating this as a battle for life and death, then I would be a disgrace not to follow his lead and enthusiasm.” Yusuke explained. “However, I am lucky that I was able to play for a longer period of time than our two juniors. Apparently, our premiere thief is quite ruthless in the early hours of these activities.”

All eyes shifted over to two girls who had been standing in a corner. One of them, with long dyed orange hair and glasses glared at Ren. “Uh, yeah, no kidding! You kept shooting me first every match! Haven’t you heard the words ‘grace period’? Or ‘mercy’? Or ‘srry afk’? I swear, this round I was just fixing my glasses before my vest-thingy beeped and I was out!”

The second girl, a redhead, seemed a bit less sour than the first. “It’s not that big of a deal, Futaba-senpai. But I do have to say, your hair stands out the most out of all of us. You were probably the easiest target.”

Ren shrugged. “Sumire is right. Maybe if you took that dye out of your hair, like another certain someone…”

All eyes fell on Ryuji. For years, he had dyed his hair blond as a sign of rebellion. It was his trademark, at least in their little group. So imagine the surprise of everyone when Sakamoto Ryuji, notorious ‘bad boy and troublemaker’, showed up to their annual get-together with black hair. Ryuji flushed red as everyone stared at him, crossing his arms. 

“Jeez, let’s not make a big deal about this! I’ve explained it a million times,” He groaned. “It was hard enough to get into a university, and I made a deal with my mom’s that I wouldn’t make problems durin’ school. That meant un-dyin’ my hair.”

“Sorry, it’s just a new look.” Yusuke commented. “You look a lot more… unassuming like this. As if I would easily lose you in a crowd.”

Futaba snorted. “Who would have thought that all it took for Ryuji to go from a PC to an NPC was a change of hair color.”

Ren watched as the group began shooting remarks and insults back and forth, smiling unconsciously. It was nice to have the Phantom Thieves back together again for the summer- he had been worried that they wouldn’t have been able to meet up at all. Not because of any fault of their own, but life was becoming more hectic, and things like college, careers, and the idea of a ‘future’ seemed to be tugging them apart no matter how much they tried to stick together. Hell, the amount of phone calls Ann had to make just to clear out her Saturday for something like this was stressful to begin with. Luckily their group chat had gotten even more lively 

He rested his hands on his hips, exhaling. Well… almost everyone could make it. Their senpai- Niijima Makoto and Okumura Haru- were off training abroad. He didn’t blame them. The group that had specifically requested their help for the summer was prestigious, and turning them down didn’t seem like a legitimate option. And there was one more that just… wasn’t allowed inside the building they were goofing around in. Ren cleared his throat.

“...Morgana’s been waiting outside for a while, I think. Let’s go pick him up before he gets too grumpy.”

Ann nodded. “I’m sure he’s been patient. I’ll apologize on your behalf, Ren.” She patted him on the shoulder, before heading toward the door. The others followed suit, as Ren took up the rear with a noncommittal shrug.

“He’ll be fine. We’ll just all have to go out for sushi tonight for dinner. If I can get him some decent sashimi, his mood’ll lighten up.”

Idle conversation took them out the door into the warm summer air, before a black cat jumped down from… somewhere, right on to Ren’s shoulder. It arched it’s back for a moment, letting out an irritated yawn, before giving Ren a pointed look.

“You said you’d be done by 4.” Morgana scolded, lightly smacking Ren with his tail. “It’s 4:45, what were you all doing in there?”

“Sorry, Morgana. We just got caught up in welcoming Sophia back to the team. Considering she’s been off with her original creator for about a year, getting the OS for a new, improved Sophia with the same memories was really exciting.” He drew his phone out again, the digital girl blinking on the screen once more. 

_“I apologize as well. We got distracted kicking everyone’s butts. The combined force of Joker and myself can only be described as ‘unstoppable’.”_

Futaba shrugged. “Besides, Virtual Girls are totally the next big thing. She’s got that cute little-sister vibe that Sumire and I used to have, and that ‘gap moe’ feel when she goes all brakka-brakka killer robot style. That quack doctor really knew what she was doing, it seems like.”

“I only understood about half of the words in that sentence… you’d think I’d have figured out your lexicon by now, but somehow you’ve become more of an enigma…” Yusuke mumbled. Ren chuckled, before ruffling Futaba’s hair.

“Don’t worry, you and Sumire still have little sister vibes. Especially since Sojiro still wants me to supervise you everywhere you go.” He said with a grin. Futaba smacked his hand away.

“Aww, thanks.” She said, sarcastically. “Your vibes have gone from ‘big brother’ to ‘trashy cousin’ now, though. Can’t you steal a comb, Phantom Thief?” She shot back.

Sumire frowned. “Senpai says I have ‘little sister vibes’...?”

Morgana rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m happy you’re all getting along. It’s been too long since we’ve been able to hang out- Ren and I weren’t even allowed to come here for the winter! I just hope that we can have an uneventful summer for once…”

There was a long pause as all of the young adults looked around, as if they were expecting some sort of errant explosion or scream for help, or even the experience of being suddenly yanked into another world. Eventually, they all collectively let out a sigh of relief. Apparently if they had triggered any ‘flags’, none of them were chomping at the bit to make themselves known.

“Looks like we’re in the clear,” Ann said with a tired smile. “Man, just the idea of spending the summer going to different sweet spots for dates, shopping, and watching movies is already making all my stress from work fade away.” 

“And I can feel my wallet gettin’ lighter already…” Ryuji mumbled. “Still, I’m with Ann. Spendin’ the summer doin’ something that isn’t supernatural bullshit? Count me in. But first, let’s go get somethin’ to eat. What was that you said before, Ren? You were treatin’ everyone to sashimi?”

Ren blinked. “Huh? Not a chance! I said I was going to treat Morgana, and maybe Futaba if she lets me borrow her copy of ‘Wyvern Story XXI’.”

“Jeez, I told you to wait!” Futaba groaned. “I just got to the penultimate boss, give me like three more days to grind and then you can borrow it.”

The conversation began to grow more nebulous as the group started to walk through the streets, preparing for their next summer. They talked about plans, figuring out the best days to head to the beaches, and the most exciting places to watch fireworks. The idea of ‘normal’ had become something that they only knew how to experience in short bursts, but with the sun overhead and plenty of things to explore, Ren had a good feeling about how this summer would turn out.

* * *

“I’m heading back to Sojiro’s. My favorite streamer is coming on, and I want to see if his chat actually drives him insane this time around!” Futaba called out, closing the door to the LeBlanc Cafe as Ren continued to clean things up. They had ended up staying out for longer than they had expected- just spending the night talking about dumb stuff. But that was what summer nights were for, right? Wasting time and air talking about whatever ridiculous stuff came to mind.

She yawned, stretching, before tugging at the collar of the shirt that Ann and Sumire had practically forced her into. It was Featherman- which was awesome- but when they had gotten the matching shirts, she had ended up with the Green Featherman. The worst one that ended up jobbing every fight. “...Eh, they probably didn’t know that. They probably just picked it because my Persona was green.”

...Persona. 

Weirdly enough, that word hadn’t come up at all lately. She wasn’t sure if they were purposefully avoiding it, or the conversation hadn’t settled on it at all. She frankly didn’t have an issue with it. As cool as superpowers were, she knew that the second she started taking advantage of them alongside her friends, things would go from ‘good’ to ‘bad’ in a matter of seconds. Still, it seemed like a waste. 

How long had it been? Two years. Two years since Amano Maya and Suou Katsuya had arrived in LeBlanc, and decided to teach the rookie Persona-users how it was done. Two years since she managed to summon Prometheus in the material world. Two years had passed since she had been part of the party that dueled against the progenitor god Izanagi, and encountered the dark god Nyarlathotep. The summer that had really taken her life from ‘boring’ to ‘exciting’. And now, things were starting to move on like it hadn’t even happened.

It was scary how quick the public was moving on. Demons had torn Tokyo to shreds, and while nobody had died- Ren mentioned a god ‘owing them a favor’- things were still fucked. The massive hole that used to first hold the Kirijo Building, and then a massive portal to another timeline, was being filled and people were walking around it like nothing had happened. The ‘Ground Zero’ incident had become nothing more than some sort of conspiracy theory. The footage- what little footage there was- was grainy and didn’t capture much. Which was good for keeping the identities of people involved a secret, but just added more doubt on what was one of the most insane events of the decade.

Maybe people wanted to forget? People were more comfortable thinking that they had imagined it, or it was all a sham, rather than facing the fact that there were real, actual threats out there. Her only problem with that was that there were still demons. Sure, there were groups that specifically operated in squishing them before they became a problem, but it was more like everyone was trying to be deliberately ignorant of the horrors of the world.

“I guess I can’t really judge.” She mumbled. If anyone knew about ‘hiding from the world’, it was her. But she was being better. She had just finished her third year at Shujin, and she was being scouted by a ton of tech companies- which she specifically denied. There was no way she was going to become part of ‘Big Brother’. She felt much more comfortable being the one to spy on the government. Still, Sojiro had told her to keep some of the offers on the table ‘just in case’- although she could totally get a start-up for herself. 

She felt a few drops on her head, as the dull July air grew more humid, before beginning to rain. She ran for cover, tucking her head inside her t-shirt before heading to the small corner thrift-shop. Luckily it wasn’t closed yet. She checked her phone. “10:30 already…? Yeesh.” She watched as the rain pour downward, and scuttled deeper inside the second-hand shop, the old man running it giving her a familiar wave. She had come here plenty of times before to scrounge for old games and parts. Some people gave away cartridges that were worth hundreds, as if the internet wasn’t a thing and they couldn’t be bothered to look up how expensive old games were.

She picked around the piles, finding another old-looking cartridge and blowing the dust off it. “...Meh. Already got the Gold Edition off IBay.” She put it down, before catching something out the corner of her eye. 

A figure, standing in the middle of the rain right by the entrance to the shop. Their robes seemed to remain perfectly dry, before raising one thin hand toward her. Her head began to pound, before she quickly turned to face the figure. 

She blinked.

They were gone.

In the span of seeing them and turning, they had disappeared. Or maybe… “They weren’t there at all…? Yeesh, cliche and spooky. No thank-a you.” She rolled her eyes, adjusting her glasses before rummaging again. She continued her search for another moment, before a sound pricked at her ears. Chattering. Chittering. Like a squirrel being strangled, or a bird slamming against a wall. She grimaced, looking over at the old man who was casually dusting things off without any sort of reaction. She pretended to ignore it, as the sound continued. It didn’t grow closer or further. Just… chittered. Gnawing and biting at the inside of her ears, and tickling the creases in her brain.

“Gah- fine!” She yelled suddenly, before uttering a quiet mumble of apology to the shop owner. She ran out, not even caring about the rain. “I swear- if Morgana triggered a ‘weird Summer’ flag I’m going to be SO pissed.”

She jogged through Yongen-Jaya, eyes narrowed as her glasses grew more obscured by the rainfall. But she didn’t exactly care about what she was seeing. For a moment she stopped, considering going back and getting Ren first. After all, he was her Key Item, and going to a potential fight without your best gear was a bad idea to begin with. She turned around, before finding that she couldn’t go back.

No, that wasn’t right. It was more like she wouldn’t go back.

The street behind her was there. Clearly, obviously there. And it wasn’t like there was a wall- invisible or no- stopping her. She just… wouldn’t. Her mind, her body, would not let her turn around. 

“Uh-oh.” She turned back toward the sound. She was close enough to know it was coming from one of the gap behind Sojiro’s own home. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steel herself. 

“Okay. I know this is a bad idea, but… _Persona_.” She felt a wave of energy surge through her, her eyes flashing yellow for a moment as the rain seemed to grow still around her, before she found herself under the semi-translucent image of a complicated, otherworldly spacecraft. It spoke, using her voice, but with a much more mechanical and higher tone.

**”Hello World. Activating Support Persona Stage3_Al_Azif. Running-- Danger. Danger. First course of action: Run. If impossible, next course of action: Die. Use any means possible to exit this situation.**

“Did my Persona just tell me to kill myself?” She looked ahead. “...Can I just take a peek--”

Her Persona let out an ear-splitting screech, like an alarm, that rang throughout her head. She found herself collapsing onto the wet pavement, her hands covering her ears before she recalled her Persona with a scowl. She tried to turn around again. She couldn’t. 

“...So that’s what it meant. I should die rather than see this little investigation through.”

Screw that.

She wasn’t just going to off herself. If she knew anything about scripted scenes, then once she just did the thing, then she’d be able to go back like normal. Besides, she was right by her house. Nothing ever bad happened to people right next to their houses. It was always either inside, or far away, but she hadn’t seen a game or movie that involved someone getting super-murdered right in their backyard. She continued forward, against the probably well-intentioned warnings of her ‘other self’. She grabbed her phone from her pocket, both to use as a flashlight and to call if--

“Oh, I’m so stupid.” She muttered in the middle of walking. She could have just CALLED Ren over. Or texted anyone. Still, before she could mentally beat herself up any further, she was already looking behind her house, and didn’t like what she saw.

A mass. A mass of flesh. Roiling, bubbling. It had eyes. Too many, in all the wrong places, as it continued to slither and burble against the side of the Sakura residence. Mouths clamped open and shut. Lips flapped idly, noises coming out as wet smacks and hellish gurgles. She felt the eyes of the thing turn to her. Not with malice. Not with the cautious stare of an animal. She was just… under its gaze. Rolls of flesh and tentacles began to twist and combine, wet trails of saliva and mucus sloshing against the pavement. 

A moment passed. She saw herself. Another Futaba rising from the viscous flabs. It- she- herself turned to look. Hollow eyes and a toothless, mocking mouth began to make noises. Nonsense. The puppet self began to fold in on itself, breaking and twisting with the noise of splintering bones and ripping flesh, before the rippling flab began to inch closer to her. There were a million things she wanted to say- but her words seemed to be caught in her throat, completely and utterly refusing to break free as her heart pounded.

Futaba quickly returned to her senses, defending herself the only way she knew how. The only way she thought she could. She threw her hands forward, green sigils forming as she called upon Al Azif once more.

“Persona--!”

The alleyway behind the Sakura residence exploded with a flash of light.

And then there was nothing.


	3. Dorayaki and Yellow Tape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddie and Nanako enjoy some snacks. Trouble ensues.

The joys of Summer. Ice cream, window shopping, and a bright sun. It was incredibly overwhelming being in such a big city, and she thought that Teddie could be helpful as an ‘anchor’ of sorts, but just as she was practically floating aimlessly from place to place, he was doing the exact same. In a way, he was practically dragging herself all over the place himself. They had already gotten a few souvenirs. She had picked up a sensu fan from one of the stores (it reminded her of the pretty ones that Yukiko carried around), and Teddie had spent his money for the day on more snacks, which she ended up scolding him on. After all, snacks went away once the day was over. It was better to get things that would last longer- even forever. That way you could keep better memories.

“Huh, Nana-chan, you sure do think like a grown-up..” Teddie had replied, face half-stuffed with anpan.

She had shrugged, and used the rest of her money for the day to treat the two of them to ice cream. As of now, they were just wandering around, making conversation and trying to figure out the best places to visit next. All of their thoughts were hanging on the fireworks shows. 

Fireworks in Inaba were pretty, because the sky was so clear that- even if there weren’t a lot- it felt like they took up the entire sky. That, and being able to find a nice grassy spot to sit and watch was probably one of the biggest appeals. If summer could be encapsulated into one moment for Nanako, it would be slightly wet grass and a sky full of fireworks. So, she was both somewhat excited and a bit worried about what was going to happen when they went to see the fireworks in Tokyo. Would they be able to find a good place? There were so many people in the city, maybe it would get too crowded and she wouldn’t be able to see the fireworks at all.

Teddie had lifted her up- with a lot more ease than his skinny build would imply- and put her on his shoulders. “If that happens, I’ll just do this! I’ll make sure you see those fireworks no matter what, Nana-chan!”

“Do you promise, Teddie?” She asked, although it was a silly thing to ask. Teddie always kept his promises, after all.

“I cross my little Teddie heart!” He said in reply, as the two of them continued to make their way forward without paying much attention- gaining a few strange looks from the regular passerbys but having fun nonetheless. The conversation slowly began to die down before the two of them bumped into a much larger police officer, Teddie wobbling backward before catching himself and Nanako before the two of them toppled over. The large man looked down at them, before frowning.

“Sorry about that.” He said, “But you kids should turn around here. It’s not safe.”

“Not safe?” Nanako echoed, before glancing past the officer. The area had been cut off with police tape, and there were a few more officers milling around and talking. The scene brought forth an uncomfortable sense of deja vu, as she felt herself gripping a bit tighter to Teddie.

“Murders?” Teddie asked, and Nanako immediately understood where the sense of deja-vu had come from. This was similar to the sorts of scenes her father investigated- or at least looked similar. The officer furrowed his brow, as if unsure how much he could- or wanted- to divulge to two people who looked no older than sixteen. It seemed like one of the situations where Teddie’s awkward aging came into play for the wrong reasons. After a moment of thought, the officer sighed and crossed his arms, as if reaching a conclusion.

“There have been a series of disappearances. Young girls, mainly.” He finally said, with some reluctance. She made a note that he didn’t exactly deny the claim about murders, but it most likely didn’t seem the most appropriate thing to bring up. Still, on the subject of disappearances...

“...Trafficking?” Nanako asked, her own brow beginning to knit together. The officer gave her a confused look, as if he was surprised that she even knew what the word ‘trafficking’ meant, before shaking his head. It didn’t seem like a weird thing to know about. Luckily it wasn’t a problem in Inaba, but she had been given a whole spiel by her dad on how to avoid situations like that, which she just assumed was normal. 

“From what we can tell, no. It just…” He trailed off, before clearing his throat, realizing that discussing important police business with a tween wasn’t the most wise choice. “...Nevermind, just stay away from dark alleys, and you and your friend have the right idea sticking in pairs. Having a buddy is always a good choice.” He turned around, giving them a casual, yet dismissive wave. “You kids stay safe, alright?”

The two of them waved back, before Nanako slid off of Teddie’s shoulders. He glanced back at her, before his bright eyes narrowed.

“Teddie…?”

“Stop right there, Nana-chan! I’ve seen that look before...” Teddie said, folding his arms. “That’s the ‘let’s get involved with something we have no business getting involved in’-look, and Sensei has had that flash in his eyes a million times before!”

Unfortunately for Teddie, all that did was pique her interest further. She knew that Big Bro was prone to getting into ‘trouble’ (although the type of trouble was kept irritatingly under wraps), but still… getting into mysteries and helping people seemed like the definition of a productive summer. Detectives like Naoto and her father investigated this sort of thing daily, and they both were amazing. Was it really such a bad thing that she wanted to join in on the fun? “Come on, Teddie! Let’s just ask around for a little bit! I wanna know what’s happening! Please…?” She stared up at him with wide eyes. He stared back with… as stern as an expression as he could muster, before finally sighing and patting her on the head.

“Nrrgh… fine! But just a little bit! If it seems really dangerous, we’re forgetting about it and leaving it to the police!” He folded his arms, nodding sagely. “The police may be incompetent a lot of the time, but I’d rather they get hurt than you. After all, if you come home with even a teensy scratch, Sensei will kill me, and your Father will make sure they never find the body!”

What a scary thought, but still, it wasn’t like she could ignore something like this. Besides, all they were doing was collecting information. She grabbed Teddie by the arm, dragging him along down another road, shuffling through streets before ending up on the other side of the blocked off area, taking refuge in an alleyway. Teddie began to wander out, before Nanako grabbed him by the back of the collar and pulled him back out of sight.

He yelped. “Grrhhk--! Just because your Dad yanks people around doesn’t mean that you c-mmphgh--!” She clamped her hand over his mouth, shushing him. After all, they would get in trouble if they got caught, and getting another chance like this was going to become much harder. The two of them slowly and carefully peeked out, before yanking their heads back out of sight before another officer caught sight of them. All they needed to do was listen. She kept an ear out for specific police codes. She didn’t know all of them, but there was enough lingo that her Dad muttered during the Inaba murders that something had to seem familiar. 

Time seemed to crawl forward, the two of them sitting quietly. Teddie had… unfortunately given up on listening, rifling through his fanny pack for more snacks, while Nanako kept her focus laser-guided on the situation at hand. 

After a few minutes of idle listening, she was able to come up with a few things. 

First off, the officer was right about the disappearances. For one, it seemed like people were just vanishing. While there were signs of a struggle in some instances, other situations seemed like people just… vanished off the face of the Earth. Considering the officer had told her and Teddie about that upfront, that wasn’t a major discovery. Although it was nice to validate it. 

Another conversation by some officers caught her attention, though.

“...So, I saw one of the bodies that the rumors had been talking about lately.” One portly officer commented. “It was rough. Mangled to high heaven. Like some sort of wild animal had taken ‘em and turned their limbs into string cheese.”

The officer that was being spoken to- a younger looking one with glasses- seemed taken aback. “Really? I figured the others were messing with me. So, the rumors about a _shinigami_...”

The portly officer rolled his eyes. “Let’s be rational. Madman? Serial killer? Sure, but let’s not start talking about demons and monsters and ghosts. This is real life, rookie.” He turned away, clicking his tongue with irritation. “Jeez, I swear, ever since that gas leak in Tokyo a couple years back, people have been jumping to the conclusion that monsters are everywhere. Like a bunch of kids who saw a horror flick.”

The spectacled officer sighed. “I...I guess you’re right. It does sound a bit difficult, but… can a human really do something like that?”

“Sharp enough blade and a loose enough set of morals can make anyone do just about anything.”

The conversation came to a close after that, as Nanako and Teddie exchanged glances. He seemed… vastly less excited than she did- and realistically she couldn’t blame him- but this was exciting. She had just discovered a mystery! Just like--

“No, Nana-chan.” Teddie said, sternly. “Teddie isn’t going to let you fight a grim reaper that turns people into fillets. Not a chance.”

“But Teddie, those monsters aren’t real! If it’s just a bad guy, we can find them and then call the police! Come on, come on, I wanna help!” She begged. Teddie grimaced, before shaking his head.

“Ngaaah… is this the feeling of responsibility? How un-bear-able! I wish Sensei or Yosuke were here, they’d know what to do…” He whined, before the two of them froze, hearing footsteps behind them. Jagged and stumbling, the two of them glanced down the alleyway they had run down, watching what looked like a businessman slowly lurching toward them. His eyes were glazed over and unfocused, one hand shoved deep within his pocket, and the other dragging against the cold concrete wall of the building. 

“...Those monsters are real… it’s all real… the horrors… the demons… God has abandoned us…” He moaned, as Nanako and Teddie slowly backed up. She could feel Teddie’s body growing colder, and for a moment she thought she saw his normally crystal blue eyes flash yellow, although her attention was… elsewhere, at the moment. 

The businessman stared at them, before his eyes seemed to focus on them. “Ooh… oooohh…! You two… touched by God! How awful! How beautiful!” He bellowed, his unsteady lurching turning into an animalistic lunge as he yanked his hand from his pocket, revealing a rusted knife.

She froze. Those eyes. As focused as they were, they weren’t truly seeing anything. Empty, trapped in a delusion. A sick, twisted voice tugged at the far edges of her memory, her vision flashing before her eyes with scenes long past. The dark recesses of a delivery truck, the flickering screen of a television, the deluded face of the deliveryman she had seen plenty of times- grabbing her like a doll and yanking her away from the safety of her home.

_I’ll save you… I’ll save all of you…!_

She screamed. Loud and piercing, enough to snap Teddie from his own focus. His body had slowly been covering itself in a blue glow that vanished in an instant as he turned back to check on her. Before he could say anything, the armed man swung his knife. Teddie quickly snapped back to focus, the blue glow gone but the intense look in his eyes remaining as he grabbed the assaultant by the wrist, trying to wrench the knife free. Nanako could feel herself becoming more and more faint as Teddie struggled, before the bear watched with terrified eyes as she stumbled backward. He let go of the man attacking him, diving to catch Nanako before she hit the ground.

She saw the swinging of the blade as it cleaved into Teddie’s shoulder. He let out a pained yell. He turned to face their attacker, snarling.

“That’s it…! Perso--”

The next set of events seemed to happen in an instant. Before she could even imagine what Teddie was doing, someone rushed in, kneeing the businessman in the face and causing him to stumble backward, blood pouring from his nose. A series of kicks were thrown, snapping with impressive speed before their attacker was flush on the ground, his face beaten into a pulp.

“Tch, trying to snatch up little girls? The only place for scum like you is the grave.” Her savior scoffed. Nanako looked up. It was a woman with long, silver hair. Her sharp, eagle-like eyes were a deep brown, although they seemed to have flecks of red when caught by the light. She was wearing a dark grey suit, and was irritatedly wiping the blood from the knee of her pants, before shakily turning around to face Nanako in her heels. She reached in her breast pocket, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between her lips. 

“...You alright, kid?” She asked.

Nanako didn’t respond, her own brain trying to catch up. The woman kneeled down to eye-level, gently placing her finger under Nanako’s chin and pushing up, closing her mouth- which apparently had been wide agape for the past couple of seconds. 

“I-I’m okay…” Nanako whispered. The silver-haired woman nodded, reaching in her pocket for a lighter before the cigarette was deftly flicked away by another woman. 

The second woman seemed a bit older. Her hair was brown, although under the summer sun it seemed to flicker like a flame. Her suit was a bright, angelic white with black stripes. Her gaze seemed a bit more gentle than the first one, as she walked over to Teddie and carefully began inspecting the wound. With practiced grace, she seemed to effortlessly pull out the blade without any fuss from Teddie, and drifted her hand over the stabbed area. For a brief moment there seemed to be a warm glow, before any trace of blood or the wound seemed to be gone entirely.

“Getting a bit careless with the magic there, Reiho.” The silver-haired woman chided, pulling out another cigarette, that was again quickly knocked away. 

The brown-haired woman- ‘Reiho’- focused back on Nanako, gently taking her wrist and inspecting it. “Do you feel hurt anywhere?” She asked, apparently ignoring the comment about ‘magic’ earlier. Nanako quickly shook her head no, and wanted to ask how she made Teddie better, glancing over at her friend as he patted his shoulder with… well, a lot less confusion than she would expect from someone who got magically healed.

“You shouldn’t be in a place like this.” Reiho scolded, gently. “Still…” She turned to her companion, who nodded curtly. “You should look away for this part.” Nanako was calmly urged to turn around, trying to ignore the pained sounds of the salaryman and the harsh questions that he was being asked. A minute or so passed, before the muffled, stifled screams, answers, and pleas for mercy stopped. Without much fuss, the silver-haired woman prodded her partner with her foot and gestured for them to get going. Reiho gave a friendly wave, 

“Hey!” Teddie called out, abruptly as the two went to make their leave. “Who are you two? I couldn’t live with myself if I got saved by two spunky beauties, and they left before I could even get their names. I’m Teddie! I could have handled Sir Stabs-A-Lot on my own, but I’m a bit rusty..”

The woman with the silver hair rolled her eyes, while Reiho chuckled. “We’re freelance paranormal investigators. But to make it simple, just call us detectives. Take care, kids. Stay where adults can see you. With the amount of kidnappings, it’s best to stick to the bright roads and the crowded stores.” 

And with that, they left.

Nanako stared blankly. “...Reiho-san and that silver-lady were… cool…”

“Absolute knockouts too! Heh, literally.” Teddie added on, in agreement. “But… grr, I feel like I’ve seen that gruff woman before somewhere? Maybe not so gruff? Maybe it was someone who I didn’t get many important moments with, but just happened to be in the same area of?” He scratched his head. “No good. I’m thinking and thinking, but this bear is drawing and blank for the moment! Still, if those are what Tokyo women are like, this trip seems even more exciting! Not like I don’t mind country girls- refined ones like Yuki-chan are great but...”

Nanako slowly and deliberately zoned Teddie out. They were detectives, just like her Dad. Just like Naoto. People who solve mysteries, beat bad guys, and lead exciting lives. People who were willing to pursue justice, no matter what. Even her Big Bro- even Yu- had spent a ton of summers in Inaba acting like a detective with Teddie and the others. 

“I want to be like them…” She mumbled to herself. Teddie looked over at her, eyes wide, as if she had said something weird. He quickly wrapped her in a bear hug, squeezing her tight.

“Oh, nooooo! I failed to save Nana-chan, and now she wants to become a glamorous Tokyo-gal! Your cousin is going to turn me into swiss cheese, and your father is going to slap me on a sandwich!” He wailed, before shaking her back and forth. “We have to go back to Inaba! We have to get you that boring, small town air so your standards of beauty can revert back to kimonos and sensible amounts of makeup!”

Nanako giggled, trying to pry herself away from Teddie’s wailing form. “Not that, Teddie! I mean I want to be a detective like them!” He finally let her go, as she jogged over to the now-unconscious businessman. The detectives had left without searching for any real evidence, but they were probably looking for something else. However, it wouldn’t hurt to search. 

“Please don’t rifle through the knife-guy’s pockets, Nana-chan.” Teddie called out.

Too late for that. She pulled out a thin business card, flipping it back and forth in her hands before having it snatched by Teddie.

“Nana-chan, remember what I said.” He reminded, his tone a bit sterner than usual. “If it gets dangerous, we leave it to the cops.” He frowned, sighing. “I got caught off guard and things got kind of dicey, but your cousin and your dad asked me to protect you. I don’t want you getting involved with nasty business on the first day of our trip.” He slid the business card in his pocket, before walking and picking up his fanny pack, which had gotten loose in the brief scuffle. 

“Now, let’s get going!” He said, his usual cheer returning. “After all, I saw a stall with some dorayaki! I wanna see if you can mix together the chocolate and red bean paste into one super flavor! Ooh, maybe matcha too!” He cheered, marching away with exaggerated posture.

Nanako sighed, pouting a bit. Teddie had a point, but… well, this had to be some sort of sign, right? That this was her first big case, just like how Big Bro handled the Inaba case. But… maybe that wasn’t important. Whatever they stumbled in on, it wasn’t like the other detectives couldn’t handle it. Besides, there was suddenly a more pressing issue.

“Chocolate, red bean and matcha!? That’s gross, Teddie! You might get sick!” She yelled, making a face before running after him. “Besides, we need to save our money!”

* * *

The day had proceeded without much of an event after that. Well, the ‘super-dorayaki’ that Teddie had jury-rigged had made him vomit up what seemed like a rainbow, but outside of that? Totally uneventful.

It was late. Teddie had already sent Nanako to bed after watching a movie in the hotel room- a detective flick, which didn’t really surprise him. After that, they talked for about half an hour about the fun things they were going to do tomorrow, and then she had been out like a light. 

_‘She sleeps heavy like Sensei too’_ , Teddie had thought. He had opened the window to their small hotel room, staring outside, his face illuminated in tons of colors by the neon lights that littered the city. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep whiff of the late summer air, before letting out a low, melancholic sigh.

...The nose never lied.

There was definitely something bad in the air. Outside of city stink, there was something else hanging over the air like a slimy film. People said that animals could tell when natural disasters were on the horizon. Well, a fun fact about Teddie Bears is that they were at least 80% sure when a supernatural disaster was on the horizon.

“What a weird smell, though. Octopus, maybe…?” He mused to himself. He reached in his pocket, pulling out the card that Nanako had picked up. He flipped it back and forth. It was a shiny, laminated black, but the paper seemed cheap. The calligraphy on it seemed either hurried or not very professional. Maybe both. “Jeez, even my Japanese writing is better than this…” Though maybe that was because Yosuke was a really strict teacher. One too many mistakes at Junes, and Yosuke had practically created a personalized ‘Kanji 101’ bootcamp for him. He read the card, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“...’Uncover the Secrets of All. Be Touched by God. Unlock the Paths to a Better World’.”

He flipped the card over.

“...’Become one who holds the Key to the Next Life’...?”

Yeesh, talk about vague garbage. But… it wouldn’t take a genius to even consider the fact that the people who owned this card had some ties to either the kidnapping or the killings. He glanced back at Nanako, his brow knitting.

He had dropped the ball earlier. If he had just used his Persona right off the bat, Nanako wouldn’t have gotten so scared, and that knife-wielding suited punk would be a punk-cicle.

“Snrk.” He cracked himself up sometimes.

Why had he held back…? Probably for the same reason none of the Investigation Team even mentioned the word ‘Persona’ around Nanako. It was a whole different world, filled with a whole different set of dangers. Sensei had wanted Nanako to grow up to have a normal life, no matter what. But was something like that even possible? Well, maybe, but that wasn’t up for them to decide. 

“...She was in the T.V too. Just like us.” He mumbled, sadly. He clicked his tongue, reaching for his phone. Instincts told him to call either Sensei or Yosuke. But… well, while Yosuke might listen more, he’d probably contact Sensei, and Sensei would try and call off the trip immediately.

“I can’t do that, I made a promise.”

He looked up into the sky, covered with clouds. “I promised that Nana-chan would see the fireworks. And I’ll add on an extra deal that this will be her best summer ever!” He yelled out, quickly clasping his hands over his mouth when he heard the younger girl stir. Still, the goal was set. He didn’t need sleep like Nanako did- at least he hoped he didn’t, and if he did, then he’d deal with it anyways. He would devote his nights to figuring out this whole missing-person business, and his days to having fun with Nanako. The best of every world. The issue would get solved, Nanako wouldn’t get involved, he’d help people, and the summer could proceed as usual. 

...And of course, there was a chance to cross paths with those two detective mademoiselles again. Not like that was the main issue. Main issue was helping Nanako, and Tokyo by extension, but that didn't mean he couldn't add in a little Teddie-bonus to help him work harder. And there was something about that silver-haired lady that was bugging him. 

...It'd probably come to him later, but doing some extra digging into why she was tugging at his little Teddie heartstrings and memory...strings seemed important.

Nonetheless, he had a plan. And it had to go smoothly, he was one of the strongest Persona-users currently in Tokyo, after all! The bad guys didn't stand a chance! He grinned, nodding proudly, before speaking in a confident- yet whispered- voice.

“Hehe, what a bear-y good plan. I’m really a bear-na-fide genius when I think about it!”

He was going to be the best hero for Nanako that he could be. That was a guarantee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> making teddie a main character was a mistake. bear puns are bad and hard.


	4. Patterned Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren has a bad time. Morgana wants him to take care of himself better. Yusuke practices a new art form.

Ren was sinking.

As if his body had been thrown overboard a ship, weighs chained to his legs, he was being dragged down into a dark abyss. His mind struggled to identify just where he was. An ocean? It couldn’t be. The water didn’t sting as it brushed past his eyes. His mouth wasn’t filled with the pungent taste of saltwater. And yet… it was far too deep to be a lake. Far too endless to be a pond.

He continued downward. Not as if he had a choice, but he simply shifted his resolve so that he desired to go down, rather than being helplessly pulled under. He wished to see what was at the bottom. If there was a bottom to begin with. His dark hair floated freely, his mind slowly relaxing before reaching a state of brief bliss. He allowed his thoughts to wander, although they couldn’t seem to stick. Not as if he was unfocused, but as if they simply didn’t… exist. As if the Amamiya Ren that was floating downward was simply something close enough to ‘Amamiya Ren’. That understood who he was, but that was about it.

He eventually landed on the bottom. It wasn’t sand, or dust, or rock. The ground was solid, metallic as if he had landed in the midst of some sort of submarine. The ground was cold on his feet, and he soon realized that he was without clothes, although that fact seemed to wash over him just as quickly as he realized it. The wetness of the ‘ocean’ seemed to evaporate, as if he was now standing on perfectly dry land. The heavy feeling in his legs left him for a moment, and he looked around.

Pure darkness. As far as the eye could see.

He clicked his tongue, slowly beginning to walk forward, his direction aimless. He continued to walk forward, but his pace and direction didn’t seem to match. It was as if, despite his body going throughout all the forward motions, his body was being slowly dragged backward. And yet, not far enough to backward to make his forward momentum worthless. Not walking in place, but not making any forward progress either. Contradiction upon contradiction.

He eventually stopped moving, and felt himself sliding, as if he was on a conveyor belt. Sliding forward, not knowing if he was traveling miles or inches, before reaching a stopping point in the endless, deafening darkness. A tiny flicker of light was visible at last, and he began approaching it, not realizing how frantically he was moving, like a starving man finding an oasis in the desert. He continued to scramble forward, before all the sudden he felt his legs locking up.

He tripped, fumbling forward before landing, his face hitting the ground. He winced on instinct, but the pain didn’t seem to register. Instead, the feeling of something slick and warm slowly brushed against his cheek. It was too dark to see, but it seemed to increase in volume, lapping against his face in small waves. The taste of iron hung in his mouth, as he quickly sat up, coughing for air. His legs were still numb, but he continued to crawl forward, fingers dragging through the slowly rising pool of blood, before it overtook him. 

His vision shifted and warped as he began to drown. He thrashed wildly, the tiny point of light becoming nothing more than a dream, before he found himself washing onto a surface. Unlike the cold, metallic floor from before, the surface he was now on felt… comforting. Warm, and familiar. He wasn’t sure how. He couldn’t tell, and a part of him didn’t want to investigate further. He looked around, realizing it was just as barren and empty. The floor seemed to… pulsate under him. As if it were living. A gargantuan figure loomed over him, dark and distorted, a massive shadow. A moment passed, and another, and as each second ticked on the massive, gigantic shadow seemed more and more familiar. A form of nothingness slowly trickling into something more recognizable. Feminine.

Hair that was the color of vibrant, violent orange flames drifted behind the figure. Massive, red eyes ringed with pitch blackness stared forward, not even acknowledging Ren’s presence. From the creature’s pale neck down the figure’s body was a deep, endless black, and it’s body was covered in pulsating green veins. It raised a hand, it’s dark fingers an ethereal green on the tips, that slowly drifted down and made a scooping motion meters away from Ren, but he found himself being lifted all the same. His heart began to pound, as if all of the fear that he should have felt throughout the experience was just now rushing into him at once. His chest ached, his heart feeling as if it would burst as he clutched it.

_Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum._

That was all he could hear. The beating of his heart, the shortness of his breath. A reminder of how utterly mortal he was. He looked again at the creature, knowing that it was familiar, but his mind couldn’t lock onto who. It didn’t acknowledge him. He finally gathered the courage to speak.

“Why are you doing this?”

The question didn’t seem appropriate. He knew that he should have asked who it was. What it was. He hardly knew what ‘this’ meant. But his body… his mind seemed to skip past all of the questions he would have asked beforehand. As if the conversation had already occurred a thousand times over, and he had simply ‘skipped’ to the newest, most relevant option. 

There was no answer.

No verbal answer.

He let out a pained scream, hands grasping at his head as images seemed to flash and burn throughout his thoughts at an incomprehensible speed. The streets of Tokyo covered in blood and desecrated bodies. The massive hole that had once housed the Kirijo building. Demons roaming free. He saw the Other Side, ravaged and hopeless. Visions of the stairway to Heaven, and scenes of the Crawling Chaos creeping closer.

The tragedy two years ago. His head had felt so weightless and empty before, and now… it was too full. He bit his lip, too hard, as blood began to flow from his mouth. 

His memories swirled and rocked around him as if he were on a ship in the middle of a storm.

... 

Before he found himself in the Other Side. He was wearing his dark Phantom Attire, his mask a light shade of eerie purple from the eldritch influence that had been taking advantage of him. Except this time he was lucid. He was standing on the back of the angel Gabriel, who had put themself between him and the people he was hunting. Their fight had been difficult, but he had won in the end. The bright, seafoam green wings of the angel were stripped and torn, revealing bits of flesh and metal, the angel being a creature between human and manufactured machine. Ren blinked, his gun pressing against the barrel of the angel’s head.

A scene from two years prior, where his body had been nothing more than a puppet for the Embodiment of Chaos itself.

“...Wait, no. Not again.” Ren whispered. It hadn’t been his fault then. He had been manipulated- so why…! 

The angel craned it’s neck to look at him, eyes filled with a sense of maternal love and disappointment. 

_”I forgive you, my child…”_

Ren tried to move his arm, but it didn’t budge, the barrel of his pistol still snug against the divine machine’s head. “No, no, no--”

 _”I remember the time when we were one, I know…”_ Ren could have sworn he saw a tear slowly slide down the angel’s face. The look of someone being betrayed, but accepting their fate. He shook his head, trying to pull his arm away. 

_”I know that there is still hope for y--”_

A gunshot. The angel’s head exploding in a magnificent, rupturing event. Golden, angelic blood splattered against his face, his hand trembling as he finally dropped the gun. Too late. Always too late. He barely had the time to say anything until he felt his foot press into another back.

... 

Aigis.

She hadn’t wanted to fight him. He had spurred her on in his lunacy, spouting hypocritical ideals as if they were justifiable facts. His reasoning had been in shambles, and he only had his anger. She had put up a good fight. The problem was that she was fighting fair, and he hadn’t.

“Don’t make me do this…” He whispered, feeling his fingers gripping under the blonde girl’s chin. He pulled, a sharp movement as Aigis’ very face seemed to pop, and he pulled. The hiss as the mechanics within her face met the hot, muddled air of the dilapidated city they found themselves battling in. He could feel her struggling under him.

“Aigis-san, I didn’t-- I’m sor--”

His arm moved on it’s own, ripping Aigis’ face from her mechanical body in one fell swoop.

He wanted to cry.

... 

Again.

He recognized this place. A dark, dilapidated and open space. Two figures were staring at him, giving him tense, tentative looks. Fear in their eyes.

“Morgana, Risette-san…” His eyes widened. “Wait, no. Don’t make me. Please, please--” His body twitched and moved again, picking up his knife. He found himself hesitating, for the first real moment his body relinquishing back control from his twisted memories. His journey through the Other Side… all of those mistakes, his arrogance and his delusions. 

He plunged the knife toward his own throat, the shock sure to push him out of this twisted recollection. It hit, pain coursing through his body for only a moment, before stopping. One hand clasped against his throat, realizing that the wound was gone, and his other arm was outstretched having thrown something. He looked back over to the two shades that vaguely resemble Morgana and Rise, the taller of the two slumping down into a pool of blood that seemed to rise higher and higher, spread further and further throughout the darkened chamber they were in.

“Why… why are you showing me this…?” He whispered, as the liquid began to rise further. He dropped to his knees, his legs slowly stained red, his shoulders shaking.

One summer. One normal summer.

“Why are you doing this to me?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The liquid was up to his torso now, but he hardly moved. 

Tragedy. Tragedy had to be on the horizon. But he could stop it. If he just… knew- if he had a clue, then he could stop it.

He finally drew the courage to look up, finding himself in the middle of an empty Tokyo. There were no humans. Not even corpses. The river of blood drew him in further, as he saw creatures. Thousands of creatures, with twisted disgusting forms that he couldn’t even dare to comprehend. He found himself inadvertently squeezing his eyes shut, like a child watching a horror film, his subconscious telling him that he would be far worse if he dared to see the creatures that clung onto the buildings. 

Before suddenly--

He knew. He didn’t know what he knew, but the indescribable feeling of realization seemed to stab through him like a blade. His eyes snapped open, looking up toward the sky, before they slowly trailed down. Standing mere feet away from him was a girl, orange hair dangling past her shoulders and slicked with sweat. Eyes encased in red goggles, staring down at him with an unreadable, yet intense expression. Her body was encased in a black bodysuit, covered in neon green lining. She approached him, reaching out and slowly cupping his chin with one gloved hand. Staring at him. Analyzing him, without any sense of recognition.

Her lips moved. Saying something, but as soon as the words hit his ears, they turned into violent static. The world around them began to glitch and shiver, as if unstable.

He finally felt himself welling up the question he had been waiting to ask for what seemed like an eternity.

“Who are--”

... 

...The sun slowly slipped through the window. Ren let out a pained yawn, his pillow slicked with sweat. His blanket had been tossed away, resting a foot away from the bed that he had convinced Sojiro to finally get for the attic, since he was planning on visiting.

He felt a weight on his chest, his vision slowly becoming more focused as he lifted his head up, staring at Morgana who seemed more than a little concerned.

“Ren? Ren!” The cat let out a sigh of relief. “...You were shaking. A lot. I was getting worried.” Morgana said, before trotting up to Ren’s face and resting a paw on his forehead. “...You’re burning up too. Maybe you should tell the Chief that you’re too sick to help out at LeBlanc today. I know that’s your entire arrangement, but I’m sure he’ll understand.”

LeBlanc. Right. He slowly turned his head, his neck feeling sore and stiff. For the summer, he was staying at LeBlanc. Free housing, as long as he helped out whenever he could. His eyes drifted over to Morgana, his silver gaze glazed over and unfocused.

“...Is this… here?” He asked. Morgana gave him a strange look.

“You… definitely need rest. Sumire should be coming in soon, I’ll tell her to pass along the message that you’re sick to the Chief and the others.” Morgana hopped off his chest and trotted down the attic steps, leaving Ren alone with his thoughts. That… dream. No, that wasn’t it. It was far too real to be a dream. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, wincing. He had bit it, but it seemed like it closed up. Too fast for it to be something he did on a whim in the middle of the night. He sat up, his arms aching, his head hanging for a moment, dark bangs dangling forward. 

“Sumire…?” Right. In order to stay in shape, he had promised to go on morning runs with Sumire. Still, it had to be pretty early if she was coming in. “She’ll probably want breakfast.” He slowly stood up, taking a step before his legs wobbled and he stumbled forward, catching himself on the adjacent wall after some fumbling. He grit his teeth, trying to focus again before standing up straight. 

He couldn’t say he felt dizzy. Sore, clearly, but not dizzy. It was more as if his mind was focusing too hard on trying to process other things that basic functions such as walking weren’t taking precedent. 

His mind was in an odd state, trying desperately to cling on to the dream, but it was almost if the dream he had was taking up far too much mental space for him to focus on anything else. Each solid step he took, the further the dream drifted away from him at an irritatingly fast pace. He managed to stumble to the steps, walking down one step at a time, firmly coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t in any shape to go out running with Sumire, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t fix her a cup of coffee. 

He finally reached the bottom of the attic steps at about the same time Sumire swung the door to LeBlanc open.

“Rise and shine, Senpai! The weather is perfect this… morning…” She slowly trailed off, realizing that Ren was in… an admittedly poor condition. “You know, I can come back later?”

“I thought I asked you to rest, Ren!” Morgana scolded, shaking his head before looking back to Sumire. “He was sweating and thrashing in his sleep, and he has a fever.”

Ren hobbled behind the counter, slowly reaching for some of Sojiro’s least expensive coffee beans. “I’m fine…” He said, just realizing how raspy his voice was. He probably did look like a mess, all things considered. His wild hair seemed wilder and sweatier, and the loose shirt and sweatpants he wore to bed had droplets of sweat and blood on them, most likely from when he bit his lip. “...Just had a bad dream, that’s all.” He finished, reaching for a coffee cup. Picking it up seemed to be a struggle, as he tried to lift it with one incredibly shaky hand, and then gripped it too tightly with both hands with only slightly less trembling. The cup slipped from both sets of fingers, rattling against the counter as he let out a large gasp, not realizing he had been holding his breath through the entire ordeal.

“...Yeah, no. Go back upstairs, Ren.” Morgana mewed, his tail swishing irritatedly. “If Sumire wants coffee, I’m sure she knows how to make it herself.”

Sumire, who had been staring at Ren with a blanched, fearful expression seemed to quickly regain her wits. “Ah- yes! It’s really no problem, Senpai! You should rest, you seem really tired.” She swallowed hard. “I-If you want, I can stick around if you want company…?”

“...’M fine.” Ren groaned, leaning against the counter for a moment before the door swung open again. Yusuke entered, pen in one hand and a notepad in the other, passing by everyone before sitting in his designated corner of the cafe, scribbling furiously in the notepad.

“...Good morning, Yusuke-senpai?” Sumire greeted, somewhat nervously.

“Ice grows on the walls. Frozen roof on the cold mouth. Ice cream sundays.” Yusuke chanted cryptically.

“...Huh?”

Ren blinked dizzily, staring at Yusuke. “...Was that a haiku?” Or at least an incredibly shoddy attempt at one. Most haikus, at the very least, had to have some sort of sense behind them. Yusuke finally looked up, giving a nod to Sumire- supposedly as a ‘response’ to her greeting- before focusing on Ren. 

“It is our summer assignment. My professor in the arts insists that we expand our artistic boundaries beyond art. I chose writing. I am regretting this decision immensely.” He answered, looking back to the pad, lightly chewing on the end of his pen. “How about this: ‘Splishy-splishy splash. Fish food tastes like seaweed wraps. Do-do-do-do-do.’?”

“I don’t think you should have a whole line of onamonapia.” Sumire commented. Ren nodded in response, glad the conversation had taken a turn from his own physical health.

“Were you going for some sort of slant rhyme on ‘splash’ and ‘wraps’?” Morgana asked.

“Why focus specifically on fish food...?” Ren followed.

There was a pause, as Yusuke stared at his pad, his friends, and then back at his pad. He ripped the page out, crumpling it and beginning to write again. “...How many syllables does ‘Persona’ have?”

“...Depends on the language.” Ren mumbled absentmindedly, before coughing, earning another glare from Morgana and deciding to relinquish his spot behind the counter, grabbing the remote for the small T.V and heading to one of the booths. He turned on the T.V, clicking to the news channel. The reporter seemed to be standing by a crime scene, seeming a bit on edge despite trying to keep her professional composure.

 _’Today, we have another strange disappearance case. Eyewitnesses describe seeing a girl between the ages of 15 and 18 heading into an alleyway, before seemingly vanishing without any sort of trace. Forensics have only found one set of evidence, a business card cryptically describing ‘gates’ and entrances to other worlds.’_ The reported continued on, an image of the card overlaying itself on the screen. Ren found himself squinting, the very image of the card itself giving him a headache. _’Furthermore, this may be related to presumed ‘cultist’ sightings. Citizens have been noting strange behavior from loved ones. Notably leaving the home late at night, coming home with bizarre wounds, and drastic changes in behavior. If you know someone experiencing these effects, the best course of action is to make sure they stay in the home, and get them help.’_

“See, Ren? They’re telling the cultists to stay home and in bed. Why can’t you?” Morgana asked, smugly.

“I’m not a cultist.” Ren replied, deadpan.

The reporter continued. _’In other news: a man, presumably believed to be part of one of Tokyo’s yakuza families has been found dead. Due to the condition of the body, we can not show it on television. Here, we have a man who claims to have seen this grizzly murder for himself.’_ The reporter walked over to an older man, who was frantically waving a cane in one hand, and snatched the microphone from the reporter with the other.

 _’It was a demon, I tell ya! Clad in fuckin’ darkness! This yakuza tough was harassin’ some lady, and ba-dum! This fuckin’ bird-man drops down and stabs the shit outta that muscle-bound tattooed freak! And then summons some kinda… dark, vengeful spirit that rips at him like ‘hrrrgkgkgkgghhaaa’!’_ The old man took a moment to turn to the side and spit, before continuing his rambling. _’I swear to the fuckin’ heavens, this was some sort’a evil raven yokai! Some kinda fucked up reaper demon! I’m tellin’ you! A raven yoka--’_ The reporter quickly grabbed the microphone back, looking at the camera with an incredibly forced smile.

_’Well, there you have it. Strange disappearances and rumors of reapers and yokai. I think this is a good time to cut to the weather? Please?’_

An air of silence fell over the cafe, as the four former Phantom Thieves exchanged glances. Morgana sighed.

“As crazy as it sounds, let’s stay aware of it. Especially the disappearances. If they’re targeting young women…” Morgana glanced over at Sumire, worriedly. “I know Sumire can hold herself in a fight, but if people really are disappearing, physical strength might be irrelevant. We should set up some kind of curfew, or buddy system.”

Yusuke nodded, before pausing. “Shouldn’t Futaba be aware of this too?”

Ren’s brow instinctively furrowed, as if her name triggered something. Just as quickly as the feeling hit him however, it seemed to pass. “...I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll send her a text later.”

“Why wait until later? We should call everyone together.” Sumire suggested. “If everyone is aware at the same time, then we can plan our movements a bit better, yeah? Although… I think I understand why you’re hesitant, Senpai…”

“...I don’t want to mess up anyone’s summer. Ann and Ryuji said they had plans anyway… so let’s just stay alert and handle the Phantom stuff later.” 

The door jingled open again. All eyes snapped to the door, before there was a collective sigh of relief.

“Good morning, Niijima-san!” Sumire said cheerfully, as Sae carefully stepped inside the cafe, looking around. For a moment, it seemed like the older woman didn’t register what Sumire had said, before finally realizing she had been spoken to. Sae stared at Sumire for a moment, before sitting down at the bar.

“...Morning.” She finally replied. After Sae, another woman in a professional-looking suit entered the bar, sitting down next to her. Ren grunted as he got up, heading around to the bar. He was feeling a bit better, still a bit dizzy, but he felt confident enough in his motor skills to handle a coffee cup.

He stretched, wincing a bit before turning to the beans. “...Your usual, Niijima-san?” Ren asked, searching for the house blend.

Sae raised an eyebrow, before speaking, her tone rough. “...Are you okay, kid? You’re not looking too great. I think we can just wait until the owner gets back here.”

Ren glanced back, before chuckling. “Sojiro is coming in a bit late today, sorry. I think he’s shopping for groceries. Still, I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been practicing my coffee skills.” He began brewing, his hands still a bit shaky, but less shaky than they usually would be. Another set of silence seemed to linger for a couple of seconds, before Sumire spoke up. 

“Who’s your friend, Niijima-san? I’m guessing she doesn’t know…” Sumire trailed off, mainly due to Morgana shaking his head at her. Sae leaned back a bit in her chair, before swiveling to face Sumire. The tension in the room seemed to increase dramatically, Ren connecting the feeling as to when he had been in the interrogation room. Sumire blinked.

“Know… what, exactly?” Sae asked.

“Uhm… uhm… I’m guessing that means ‘no’ and I shouldn’t say. Oh! Yusuke-senpai’s been writing haikus! Listen!” She said, clumsily trying to change the subject. Yusuke looked up from his pad, blinking, before quickly turning to one of the pages that he hadn’t ripped out from his pad.

“Go-go star-filled sky. Run-run dancing farmer man. Do-ro-he-do-ro.” Yusuke recited, with a bit too much pride.

“...’Splishy-splishy splash’ got cut from the pad, but that made it in?” Morgana asked, amazed for all the wrong reasons.

“...The onamonapia got even stranger…” Ren mumbled, sliding a cup of coffee in front of Sae. “Still, you didn’t introduce your friend, Niijima-san.”

Sae frowned, glancing over to the woman beside her, who sheepishly nodded. “I’m sorry. I’m Reiho Rei, an investigator. I’ll be handling business with Niijima-san for the time being.”

Morgana’s ears perked up, before he turned to Ren. “Ask if they’re investigating the disappearances.”

Ren nodded, before beginning to brew another cup. “We saw about the recent disappearances on the news. Are you two going to be working on that together? Seems a bit odd, since I don’t think defense lawyers do much. Then again, the most I know about law is from those ‘Turnabout Trial’ games.”

Rei nodded. “We’re under strange circumstances, I have to say. Originally we were focusing on the murders, but the disappearances and talk of the supernatural are really making this into much more of a mess than it should be.”

“Lucky us,” Morgana beamed. “With Niijima-san on the case, we can get more information than usual.

“...What a noisy cat…” Sae mumbled.

Sumire nodded. “Right! We can work together with Niijima-san to solve this case!” There was a moment of silence, Sumire quickly realizing that only a select few out of current company could actually hear Morgana talk, and laughed sheepishly. “...Or, uh, that’s just an idea I had.”

Sae closed her eyes. “No can do, sorry. I don’t work with teenagers. Still, maybe you can get us some information, since we probably run in different circles.” She reached in her breast pocket, pulling out a folded slip of paper. “Hotel room information. Feel free to call there.”

Ren frowned, handing Rei her own cup of coffee. “Uh, Makoto gave me a key to your shared apartment. Couldn’t I just swing by there if we need to talk?”

“It’s for my sake, really.” Rei quickly stepped in. “Since I’m the main investigator, I’d rather have all my information consolidated with me, to understand the facts a bit better. Second-hand information is the first kind of information to end up polluted with biases and embellishments, after all. I’d rather avoid that.”

The cafe fell into awkward silence again, as the two adults finished their coffee and Ren made two more cups for Sumire and Yusuke, and began preparing breakfast for Morgana. After a long couple of minutes, the two women got up and thanked Ren, before paying and heading out.

Sumire let out a long, tired exhale. “...Is it just me, or was that the most stressful fifteen minutes of my life?”

“The atmosphere seemed… a lot less relaxed.” Morgana glanced at Ren. “...You know what it reminds me of?”

Ren nodded. When Sae first started visiting LeBlanc, focused entirely on the case and potentially dragging Sojiro and Sakura along with it. The tension wasn’t personal animosity, but it was far from the relaxed atmosphere that they had cultivated in recent years with Sae. “...Can a Confidant reset…?” He mumbled under his breath. 

“Look, clouded strange eyes. A voice that is familiar. Sippy-sippy drink.” Yusuke recited. Sumire threw a balled-up napkin at him.

“You can’t just talk in haiku’s all the time now, Yusuke-senpai!” Sumire yelled.

“It was decent until ‘sippy-sippy drink’.” Ren admitted.

“Doesn’t ‘familiar’ have too many syllables, or have I been pronouncing it wrong?” Morgana asked.

The tension seemed to leave as quickly as it came, although parts of it still seemed to hang in the air like a vile stench. As much as they could chide each other and crack jokes, there was still that strangeness that certainly wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. 

Ren folded his arms, a sense of resolve bubbling up. “...Tonight. We’re calling everyone together tonight.”

Sumire frowned, slightly. “I guess this means…”

“...Yep. Our summer plans just got screwed over. Looks like the life of a Phantom Thief is constantly busy.” He said, with a wry smile. “Let’s hope everyone remembered where they put their masks.”


	5. First Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futaba wakes up. Nanako comprehends her first taste of the supernatural. Teddie isn't an offensive spellcaster. A disgraced detective returns.

For a moment, Futaba saw through someone else's eyes.

She didn’t know whose eyes they were. But she felt that they were tired. Exhausted, as if they had been open for hours. A computer screen was shining in front of her, the light seeming to sting at her eyes despite the brightness clearly being turned down. She tried to read the words on the screen, coming up with nothing but gibberish. Her mind seemed to turn for a moment, before realizing that this must mean it was a dream. 

Despite that, she felt… incredibly lucid. Her dreams beforehand were… well, it depended on the time. After her mother had died, they had been more along the lines of ‘self-loathing nightmares’, where she felt herself and her perceived guilt clawing at her from the inside, threatening to burst out. She had forgotten what a regular dream felt like but… this didn’t feel like it either.

“Bleh. Enough speculating. I need some answers.” She said. Or… perhaps the person she was observing said. Their voices and sentiments seemed to be overlapping- far less awkwardly than Futaba would have expected. 

The exhaustion continued to settle in, the cool weight of sleep beginning to weigh down on her before she felt a presence. Large and imposing, and yet nothing at the same time. It felt like how Futaba imagined what the experience of being sucked into a black hole was like. An overwhelming pressure as you were pulled closer and closer to nothingness. More whispers, strong, violent whispers seemed to accompany it. She slowly felt herself turning around, daring to look at what was behind her before one of the whispers shot through her head, perfectly clear.

‘The path to knowledge is forged with blood.’

She had thought she was in an office, but when she turned around, she found herself standing. She was staring down the streets of Tokyo, empty and desolate, before thirteen figures seemed to make their way down the empty street. Their forms were impossible to discern, wavering masses of mist and writhing energy, before one of them stepped forward. It grew, larger, the mist that made up its body turning a deep red before it began to thunder toward her, the sound of a raging storm and the unmistakable sound of war buffeting her eardrums as the cloud drew closer, and closer, and closer--

And then woke up in her bed.

A wave of irritation crossed over her. “That was… anticlimactic.” She never really liked cliffhangers, and if she was going to finally start having lucid dreams they may as well go somewhere instead of… well, whatever that was. “Crap dream. 0/10. Never show me that again, brain.”

Then again, she supposed the only ending to that sort of situation was death. Didn’t stop it from sucking, though.

Of course, another concern washed over her. She was in bed. At home. Safe. And those facts, based on the happenings of last night, left her terrified, especially since she couldn’t remember clearly what happened between… whatever was in that alleyway and her coming home. She looked around her room, her eyes landing on a digital clock that read ‘10:25’, and then at her window at the conspicuous absence of light.

“Huh.” She mumbled, before thinking.

“...Huh.” She repeated, her voice cracking a bit. A day. An entire day had passed. She had been out cold for almost 24 whole hours. She quickly sat up, checking her phone. The light from it stung her eyes, and she felt dizzy for a moment, deciding that she may have sat up too quickly. “...Egghhh…” She groaned, her eyes adjusting to the light of the phone as she absentmindedly reached for her glasses for a few irritating moments before realizing they were already on her face, crooked. “Lucky they didn’t break in my sleep…” She mumbled.

No new personal messages. At first she was a bit offended- since she went AWOL for an entire day, before realizing that having a reputation as a shut-in probably impacted their decision not to bother her. Sure, she had been working on those habits, started doing part-time jobs (with flexible hours, obviously), and talking a bit more to people- but old habits did die hard. They probably just assumed she stayed up late and went into ‘hibernation mode’. 

She shot out a quick text, before quickly being swamped with responses, the group chat coming back to life.

* * *

>   
>  **Navinavi:** hey guyss, not dead fyi.  
>  **Joker:** Oh good.  
>  **SCULL:** wut happend? Grinded 2 hard and forgot to sleep?  
>  **Pansaa:** Whatever it was, I’m glad Futaba-chan is okay! The news has been scary recently.  
>  **SCULL:** ? What happen Ann?  
>  **Pansaa:** You didn’t hear? Kidnappings, murders, etc... Actually, that’s… literally the entire reason Ren asked you to get your gear for tonight.  
>  **SCULL:** oh. Uh yeah I totally knew about that  
>  **Inari:** That’s our Ryuji. Though I keep forgetting my outfit has a tail and how to put it on. Isn’t it strange?  
>  **Inari:** How do you put your tail on, Ann?  
>  **Navinavi:** i mean… it only attaches to the butt…  
>  **SCULL:** plug? Plug it in?  
>  **Pansaa:** No! No plug! It just kind of… hooks on to a zipper? Do you see it, Yusuke?  
>  **Inari:** I don’t have a plug. Should mine have a plug?  
>  **Navinavi:** do you want a plug………..?  
>  **Pansaa:** STOP TALKING ABOUT A PLUG!! There should be somewhere you can just like.. click it on.  
>  **Inari:** Found it. Ren helped me.  
>  **SCULL:** Ren?  
>  **Joker:** He’s getting changed at LeBlanc, and reading this chat was getting painful.  
> 

* * *

She smiled, before realizing that there was something important she needed to message them about.

* * *

>   
>  **Navinavi:** anyone been havin spooky dreams? haha asking for a friend  
>  **Joker:** Elaborate?  
>  **Navinavi:** no.  
>  **Navinavi:** hhh fine. Uhhh big scary city and uhhhh evil cloud trying to trample u?  
>  **SCULL:** Nah  
>  **Pansaa:** Sorry, Futaba-chan…  
>  **Inari:** Unfortunately, no. Or perhaps ‘fortunately’...?  
>  **Violet:** Sorry, Futaba-senpai!  
>  **S0FI:** I can search for an analysis of similar dreams if you’d like, Oracle.  
>  **Navinavi:** since when was sophia in the group chat? that’s cool. i like that.  
>  **Joker:** Please do, Sophie.  
>  **S0FI:** (*^-^*)ゞ  
>  **Joker:** If you’re feeling better, you can come out with us. Or stay home if you need to rest.  
>  **Navinavi:** nonono i’m good! i’ll be out in a couple minutes! thief gear right?  
>  **Joker:** Yep.  
>  **Navinavi:** ∠(･`_´･ )  
> 

* * *

Well, that could have possibly gone better, but it also could have gone worse. She hadn’t made much progress on her dream, but considering Ren wanted them to get into gear then he had to at least feel that this was a Phantom Thief-adjacent issue, which usually meant some sort of supernatural element. She rummaged around her mess of a room, before pulling out a small briefcase, popping it open. 

The recreations of their Phantom Thief outfits that they wore during the ‘Ground Zero’ incident. It was a bit nostalgic, and while she wasn’t a huge fan of latex bodysuits, that… was what her Metaverse outfit was made out of. She wriggled on her gloves, flexing the green, fluorescent fingertips and popped on her boots, before searching around for her mask. Well, ‘mask’. Unlike the others, hers were more like a set of infrared goggles, and eventually she found them scattered in some other part of her room, the bulbous red lenses peeking out at her. She slid them on, the world turning into a faint red glow before she triggered her Persona.

“Come on, Al Azif.”

**”The first of the thirteen shall be arriving shortly. The best course of action is to not engage. The next course of action is to di--”**

“Nope.” The first of the… thirteen? Thirteen what? There was a moment where her head ached, as if it was straining to remember or call upon some sort of knowledge, before it passed by. “Oh, I get it, tying into that weird dream I had a little while ago. Symbolism. Yadda yadda. Can we kill them?”

There was a long pause, before her Persona responded.

**”...Considering the factors, there is a 75% chance of victory for this first night.”**

She folded her arms, grinning. “Awright then! Better odds than usual. Let’s get rolling.”

* * *

Nanako knew a few fundamental truths about Teddie. Teddie did not enjoy lying, Teddie did not know what constituted a ‘good lie’, and Teddie was absolutely dreadful at the entire process. All of those factors came into play when she asked him an incredibly simple question.

“What’s that bag for, Teddie?”

She was already dressed for bed- technically she should have been asleep a little while ago, but his rustling woke her up. So, she sat up, and saw Teddie in his full mascot regalia holding a tiny bookbag packed with snacks. Teddie turned and stared at her as if he had been caught committing murder, fumbling around in his bear suit for a moment 

“Uh… weight-lifting! Teddie needs to get big and strong for Nana-chan, so I’m weight lifting late at night with this bookbag!” He held up the bookbag, which looked like it weighed around 5 pounds at the very most. 

“Are you going somewhere, Teddie?” She asked, her tone anything but confrontational, but the bear looked as if he had just been shot in the gut.

“N-n-n-n-n-nooo… Teddie is just… going to get some ice for the hotel room? To eat! Going to eat hotel… ice… ahem… uhh… just go back to bed, Nana-chan! I’ll be back!” He yelled, scrambling out the hotel room without any further questioning. She stared at the door as it slammed behind Teddie, sitting still for a moment before rolling out of bed and getting changed. Clearly he was going to investigate, and she wanted to help. 

And besides, that police officer did say that it was better to operate off a buddy system. 

After hastily tossing on a jacket over her sleepwear and grabbing her own small bag of snacks- keeping her energy high was important- she slipped out of the hotel room as well following Teddie behind. Which… was much easier than she had expected. Teddie was not designed for stealth, as all of his footsteps made a squeaking noise, and 70% of his bear suit was bright red. Teddie exited the hotel, looking around before putting his hands on his hips. She quickly followed behind, standing next to him.

“Isn’t it weird, Nana-chan? The streets are almost empty…” He mumbled, before his eyes widened and he jumped back. “NANA-CHAN?!”

She crossed her arms, nodding. The streets were empty, eerily so. She could only pick out a couple of people walking, and they seemed to be headed in one specific direction, she took Teddie by the hand, pulling him in the same direction. “Come on, Teddie! Let’s see where everyone’s going?”

“No, wait-- Nana-chan, you can’t-- it’s dangerous!” He protested, picking her up. “You go back to the hotel room, and I’ll go check this out. I don’t want you getting hurt!”

She pouted, squirming. “But I don’t want you to get hurt either, Teddie! If we work together, then we can solve this mystery together and look out for each other!”

“Nuh-uh, I made a promise to Sensei that I’d keep you safe! If you stay inside, then you won’t get caught up in this crazy mess!”

The two of them argued, both of them meaning well but neither of them being incredibly receptive, before Nanako spotted a shape behind Teddie’s shoulder. It seemed like an animalistic mass of flesh, covered with eyes and teeth, roiling with orifices and mouths that both seemed to fit on and drift off the body at the same time. Just looking at one of the monsters was enough for a scream to automatically wrench itself from her throat, forcing Teddie to turn around. A harsh, distinct chittering sound seemed to come from the beast, and then from other directions. The two of them looked around frantically as more of the vague, viscous monsters seemed to be making themselves known.

“Teddie…” She said, all of her confidence beginning to drain just as quickly as it appeared. She grabbed onto the fur of his suit, her body beginning to tremble, her eyes beginning to unconsciously dart wildly as they desperately tried to look at anything but the creatures.

“I’m here, Nana-chan…” Teddie replied. He lifted her up, putting her on his shoulders as more monsters seemed to appear in droves. Ten. Twenty. Fourty. Each of them more disgusting than the last, each of them not even resembling anything from this world, almost as if someone had hastily copy and pasted them into a realm that they didn’t belong to. Their shadows didn’t follow physics, their feet seemed to spend half of their time touching solid ground and the other half either drifting an inch too high or merging an inch too low.

The creatures continued to chitter, their uneven mouths snapping hungrily. 

“Teddie…?” She found herself repeating, clinging to the top of his head. His body seemed to grow colder for a moment, before he was surrounded with a blue glow. 

“Hold on tight, Nana-chan! Things are going to get weird!” He yelled, as the spinning image of a tarot card floated before him, before drifting upwards and shattering in a magnificent display of brilliant light. “Let’s do this, Kamui-Moshiri!”

It was massive. Not as big as a blimp, but possibly the size of a small plane. It’s body was shaped like a missile, adorned with rainbow stripes and a grinning face underneath a brilliant golden crown. Two massive, golden claws hung from either side, clamping open and shut. A long, velvet, polka-dotted cape flowed over another, massive silver missile that was attached to the main body. Nanako stared at it in awe, glancing between it and Teddie over and over. 

“Wh-”

“Bearsona! Mabufudyne!” Teddie yelled. A massive blast of cold air exploded in every direction, coating the streets in ice, and freezing a good deal of the monsters in their place. He flipped open his bookbag, sliding on a pair of rollerskates. “Okay, Nana-chan! Hold on tight, we’re running! Teddie is a white mage- I left all the heavy damage to Yuki-chan!” Nanako gave the only real response that she could.

Her head was spinning, her thoughts bouncing back and forth as she recalled her dream. Her ‘Heaven’. Who was there, what they were doing, what had happened--

“Wh- wh- wh--”

“Let’s go!” He yelled, beginning to skate forward on the ice and leaping over the frozen creatures. The two of them barrelled down the empty streets as the monsters began to break out of the ice- the ones already unfrozen beginning to rush toward them. Even the way they ran was unnatural, their movements a strange and unnerving mixture of a boulder tumbling and rolling and the absurdly smooth movements of a jungle cat. The way they moved felt too smooth, no sense of blurred motion or speed, almost as if they were moving in slow motion, but were covering just as much ground as if they were acting in a full-on sprint.

Teddie continued to dash forward, the thing that he had summoned shooting more ice projectiles backward. As much as running was… working, as far as a temporary solution went, neither of them seemed to have a plan as to how to get out of the situation. The creatures were hunting with a vengeance. 

Nanako blinked, finally regaining her bearings for a split second before she grabbed Teddie’s head, yanking him back. “Watch out!”

The two of them collapsed to the ground, bouncing and rolling before skidding to a halt. She pointed in front of them, as more monsters seemed to be coming up the street in a pincer formation. The panic began to set in, Teddie quickly jumping back up to his feet and beginning to fire more waves of ice, but it didn’t seem to be working. For every ten that he managed to freeze, another fifteen made it closer. The head to his costume popped off, Teddie’s face red and his hair drenched with sweat.

“Maybe… maybe it’s time for a Kamui Miracle…?” He asked himself, before firing off more waves of ice. They didn’t seem to die. When they froze, they wriggled and shifted through cracks in the ice, laying their flesh over the frost until they were back to normal. When a part of them broke, it either slithered and reattached itself back, or combined with another one of the amorphous creatures. Teddie hugged Nanako, closing his eyes tight.

“One more mabufu, and then we run as hard as we can, okay Nana-chan? Back to the hotel. Don’t look back. Maybe they don’t go inside buildings…” 

The blimp-like figure above Teddie began to flash as it sent out another massive wave of ice, larger than all of the previous ones. The air itself seemed to freeze, a dusting of snow beginning to fall from the sky as he yelled, his voice strained and pained. The droves of beasts seemed to be stopped in their tracks for a moment as the two of them searched for a weaker spot in the crowd. 

There wasn’t one.

Just as quickly as the monsters had been frozen, they began to thaw, and the circle around the two of them seemed to close tighter and tighter. Teddie braced himself again, seeming to collect his energy to let out another wave of ice, for potentially one more chance at redemption before one of the disgusting creatures lunged forward. The world seemed to pause for a moment, before a voice echoed over the crowd of monsters from the rooftops.

“Annihilate them, Robin Hood.”

 _Thk_. A shining arrow was embedded in the back of one of the monster's ‘heads’. It shone for a moment, before flashing wildly and exploding with a burst of holy-looking light. The headless beast reared backward, letting out a harsh, pained roar.

More arrows seemed to rain down, almost endlessly. Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands. All of them glittering white alongside the dusting of unnatural summer snow that Teddie had created. The sight from the sky was beautiful, but the carnage on the ground seemed to be the complete opposite. The beasts, once moving in what seemed to be hivemind-like union, were now in total panic. Their focus had shifted from Teddie and Nanako entirely, all of them looking for the source of the arrows. In the chaos, Nanako looked to the side, watching as a shining white form leapt toward them. Before either she or Teddie could react, they were both grabbed from the waist and picked up from off the ground- Teddie’s bear suit unfortunately left behind.

She looked up at the thing that had grabbed them. It reminded her a lot of a western superhero, with a massive muscled chest with the initials ‘R.H’ emblazoned on the front. A massive golden bow was attached to it’s back, covered by a flowing white cape. Golden eyes glanced down at her with a coldness that seemed ill-fitting of such a heroic visage, and Nanako’s own eyes widened. She knew for a fact that she hadn’t seen this ‘person’ before, but the aura it gave off felt so familiar, like a faint feeling of kinship.

Before she could think about it further, the two of them were dumped on a roof. They lay still for a moment, both of them trying to 

A figure approached them, dressed in a long, brown, dirty trench coat. His gaze was cold and condescending, even when it was partially obscured by long, dark brown hair. His hands, clad in black gloves were clenched tightly with a sense of irritation for a moment, before one of them seemed to idly rest on a handgun holstered to his waist. Nanako blinked. He seemed familiar in a strange way, like the passing oddness when one thinks that they see a celebrity in a store or a common resturaunt.

The man coughed, his cold gaze focusing from them to the monsters as he drew his gun and the large, shining bowman readied his own bow. The monsters began scrambling for the building again as the stranger clicked his tongue.

“...Hmph. Making me play ‘hero’ again. What a mess…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some people were bummed that 'Dark Sun' Akechi wasn't really... well 'Akechi' in any sense of the word. So I've decided to rectify that a bit.


	6. STANZA I - The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a lot weirder and a lot more complicated.

It was weird to see everyone in their Phantom gear again. Futaba looked at all of them, smirking as they all tried to pull out uncomfortable bits of their costumes, or fix loose articles of clothing, or frantically try to explain the logistics of just how their tails attached to their outfit to clear up any misunderstandings. It had been a while, and… well- of course it felt like something was missing. Both ‘Noir’ and ‘Queen’ were out for the time being, but it still had that sort of familiar, feel-good nostalgic feeling. 

One of the strangest things about this night was the sudden cold chill that seemed to come out of nowhere, although they tried to ignore it for the time being. Futaba supposed it had something to do with the whole ‘ominous night’ thing happening. The sky was clear and dark, the only true light coming from the moon. It was bizarre, in a way. Tokyo was a bright city, but all of it’s lights seemed pathetic in comparison to the eerily bright moon.

Of course, there was one big ‘thing’ amplifying the tension by a thousandfold. The Phantom Thieves had gathered, watching a group of people, zombie-like, gather around a massive demon. The demon was large, at least twice the height of an average person, and seemed about twice as muscular as well. The demon was wearing heavy red, knight-like armor, bits and pieces of it stained with grime and blood, chipped in worn in some areas as if it had been through thousands of wars. It wore a long, flowing cape with a heavy mantle, and two massive, goat-like horns protruded from the blood red knights helmet. It held a massive halberd in one hand, and was riding a massive black horse that had unnaturally blue eyes, and a wild white mane.

The procession of people felt… unnerving to look at, in Futaba’s case. There was a sinking feeling of dread and disappointment whenever she looked at them. Pity, probably, but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from. If they were in danger, then she wouldn’t be feeling so pathetic towards them, and instead be formulating plans to save them. But… the longer she looked at them...

Ren grit his teeth. “We need to figure out how to get to those people. But as long as that demon is there…”

“Uh, Senpai? I think we’re just glossing over the fact that, um, that’s a demon?” Sumire said. “I thought we handled that two years ago, right? That big hole in the middle of Tokyo is closed up, so how are there still demons?”

It was a fair enough question. The public had made a whole thing about… something about gas leaks, domestic terrorism and conspiracy theories. Which… well, all of those things were arguably more upsetting to hear about than ‘real demons’ in Futaba’s opinion, but she supposed that was the more ‘realistic’ option.

“Not exactly,” Ren said. “I don’t know a whole lot about it, but sometimes Maya-san and Aigis talk about it in our group chat--”

“You have a group chat with Amano-sensei?” Yusuke asked. “For what?”

“Uh. It’s our ‘People Who Saved The World From Actual God’ group chat. It’s me, Narukami-san, Suou-san, Aigis, Toudou-san, and Maya-san. She said ‘Protagonists Only’, whatever that means.” Ren replied, casually, the ghost of a smug grin on his face.

Ryuji grabbed Ren by the collar, shaking him. “You know EXACTLY what that means, dude! Since when the hell were you the ‘protagonist’?! That’s bullshit! I want in too!”

Ann chuckled. “You’re totally not protagonist material, Skull. You’re more like the loveable best friend. I, on the other hand…”

“Lady Ann is certainly a protagonist!” Morgana readily agreed, “Alongside me, of course. In a romantic comedy!”

Yusuke scratched his chin. “I had always considered Panther to be more of the ‘girl next door’ type of character. I have no qualms with not being the protagonist at the moment. I feel like I am the type of ‘side character’ that garners a lot of popularity, and eventually earns a protagonist role.”

“That’s totally my niche, you know.” Futaba said, haughtily. “Inari can be a marketable plushie alongside Mona, though.”

“...That does not sound too bad either, really…” Yusuke muttered, in reluctant agreement.

“I am not just a ‘marketable toy’ type of character!” Morgana yowled in protest.

 _”...Based off our personal experiences in the Jails, I do have to agree that Joker is the ‘protagonist-type’ character. He is quiet, knows exactly what to say, and has the most varied, special and creative skillset.”_ Sophia chimed in, buzzing from a pocket in Ren’s overcoat.

Sumire grimaced. “Um, Senpais, I think we’re getting off track. Remember, demon?” She turned back toward the place they were observing, before her eyes widened slightly from behind her mask. “...Oh.”

“What is it, Violet?” Ren asked, still being jostled around by Ryuji.

“The demon is staring up at us.”

Ren blinked. “Oh.”

Ann covered her face in her hands. “My god, we are so bad at being stealthy. How the hell are we ‘Phantom Thieves’, again?”

“I think ‘Metaverse magic’ compensated for our natural lack of subtlety, if I remember correctly…” Yusuke answered, his tone deadpan.

“It was a rhetorical question!”

 **”You may come down now, Phantom Thieves.”** The demon called out in a low, booming voice. **”There is something you must be present for. And so, regardless of if you want to or not, you will be following me. Do not worry. These people will not harm you unless- or until- you attack me first.”**

With that, the demon began marching down the road. The Phantom Thieves exchanged glances, before dropping down from the roof they were on, and joining the procession. When they joined the people, that sinking feeling seemed to increase inside Futaba. And most of the others as well. Ann and Sumire tried to shake the people from their trances, but one look into the eyes of the ‘controlled’ and they seemed to blanch and back away, their expressions filling with a mixture of fear and worry. Yusuke had his eyes looked onto the ground, not even daring to look at the others. Ren positioned himself close to Futaba.

“...Get ready to fight at any moment.” Ren whispered, calmly. Futaba nodded, quickly.

The procession seemed to be leading to the Tokyo Bay. In the dead of night, it was completely devoid of bystanders. No, even then there may be a few people out late at night, but at this point the only ones that seemed to be awake during this dead hour were the procession of wandering bodies, the Demon, and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Ryuji seemed to be getting antsy, gripping his weapon tightly in his hand. 

“Hey… why ain’t we savin’ these people yet?” He whispered to the rest of the group, his brow furrowing. “Ain’t that why we intervened in the first place? I don’t know why we’re just lettin’ this Shadow do what he wants.”

A moment of silence passed over the Phantom Thieves. Heavy. Thick. Wearing down like a dark cloud. 

“You didn’t notice yet.” Ann said, quietly, her stiff pace wavering for a moment.

“Huh? Notice what?” Ryuji replied. He looked around at the people, seeing their hollow eyes and identical movements. Like puppets on strings, rigged to simply follow the ‘leader’ and do nothing else. There was no sense of self. Even brainwashing didn’t seem likely. No, this was something else entirely. The result of a human being that had their lives drained from their body. A walking corpse, meant to do nothing but send a message. That sinking, sickening feeling that Futaba had felt had been right on the money, although it hadn’t simply been a gut premonition of a tragedy to come, but one of realizing a tragedy long past. The solution seemed disturbingly simple. The people under a ‘trance’ had been killed. Their souls ripped from their bodies, with enough of an ‘essence’ left to keep them walking around. But that last scrap of humanity…

They were meant to serve. To find others. To collect others. Time passed, more and more people losing their souls and their lives, and being used as empty shells who were solely created to make more empty shells. It was disgusting, and the fact that they couldn’t do a thing about it made it all the worse. She looked over at Ren, his expression difficult to read, but in that case it made his feelings all the more apparent. His silver eyes narrowing behind his mask, twitching with a sense of righteous fury. His hands tensed around his dagger, his energy beginning to rise. Seconds away from summoning his Persona. One millisecond. Without warning she grabbed his wrist, prompting him to stop.

She didn’t know why. Just a gut impulse that things needed to progress as is. 

If she had to put it into terms for her to really understand, it was as if they were in the middle of a scripted scene in a video game. They could beat down the ‘boss’ all they wanted, make all of the right choices, but this was a moment that was locked into history- into possibility. The only things that were within their grasp were a ‘reaction’. Of course, this brought forward the obvious question.

Reacting to what?

They stopped at the edge of the Tokyo Bay, the demon’s massive horse trodding a bit into the shoreline. 

**”Now it seems prudent to introduce myself.”** The demon said, his red helmeted face turning to the only truly living people trapped within the procession. **”I am Eligor. We have met once before, Phantom Thieves. You freed me from the thrall of the Palace of Lust. And for that, I am in your debt.”**

The tension seemed to ease, if only for a moment. Perhaps this was a false sense of security, it most likely was, and none of the Thieves other than Ren truly understood the concepts of ‘Demons’ and ‘Personas’, and the connections between them. 

...Still… the name ‘Eligor’ seemed to be stirring something in Futaba. It was odd. She knew she had heard Ren call out the name of that Persona before, so theoretically it shouldn’t have caused a reaction. But it was different this time. As if it was some sort of key, jostling in a lock, trying to open something. She found herself gritting her teeth in irritation. It was always ‘something’. ‘Something’ was stirring. ‘Something’ was bothering her. She wanted to know what it was. She was a person of concrete knowledge and answers, and she wanted- no, needed that ‘something’ to reveal itself or else she would go insane.

...If she ever had a chance to look back on this moment, she would truly regret that sentiment.

Ren stepped forward.

“You’re welcome. And, if you’re indebted to us, can you tell us why you’re terrorizing Tokyo?” He asked, cutting straight to the point. Eligor was quiet for a moment, his sickly yellow eyes boring into Ren. Not like a wild animal stalking their prey, but as an enemy general eyeing up the offending army. This demon knew Ren. It had been one with Ren at some point in the past as a Persona. It knew what the Leader of the Phantom Thieves was capable of, and kept a keen eye so that he wouldn’t be caught unawares. A gaze filled with tension, danger, and perhaps a bit of admiration.

 **”Unfortunately, no.”** Eligor announced after his pause. **”My time with you was enjoyable. You are quite the young warrior. However, my true allegiances were forged before you were even a twinkle in the vast Sea of Souls.”**

The shift in Eligor’s gaze was almost entirely imperceptible. Pupiless eyes shifting slightly in their sockets. But she felt it.

The gaze was on her.

And for some reason, she both understood, and she didn’t. 

**”Step forward.”** Eligor commanded. Not to the Phantom Thieves, but to the sea of corpses that surrounded them. They all began to walk forward, further and further, before they were walking into the Pacific Ocean. The scene seemed almost comically bizarre, as the Phantom Thieves stood in stunned silence as more than a hundred people cartoonishly disappeared under the shallow waves. The water began to bubble and redden, a faint copper ring forming on the surface of the water and beginning to expand outward. 

Yusuke was the first to come to his senses. “...What… what did you do to them, fiend?!” He yelled, drawing his katana, the normally harmless false blade coating in a thin layer of decidedly more harmful ice. Ryuji quickly followed Yusuke’s lead, brandishing his bat.

 _”Life signatures are depleting quickly. If there was an opportunity to save these people, it has passed.”_ Sophia chimed from Ren’s phone, her voice solemn. _”I… I had been searching for an opportunity but--”_

“It’s fine, Sophia.” Ren spoke up. “...What happened isn’t our fault, but the most we can do is make sure that those people can rest in peace.” He pulled out his own dagger. “Phantom Thieves--”

“Stop!” Morgana yelled. The cat had been oddly quiet during the entire exchange, but Futaba seemed to snap back to her senses. Which… brought on the knowledge that at some point she had lost her sense of self. Morgana was glaring daggers at her, she blinked, before realizing that her Persona was active. Al Azif was far from a combat Persona- but at such a close range, it’s tentacles could be used as any appendage. And one of them was slowly wrapping around Yusuke’s neck.

As soon as Futaba was aware of this, the tentacle retracted itself, dangerously hovering in the air.

“Futaba-chan!” Ann yelled. “What’s going on?”

“I didn’t…” Futaba stuttered. “I…”

**"You were given your chance. If 'you' had died, then 'your' story would have progressed painfully.”**

The voice coming from Al Azif was clear. All of the Phantom Thieves heard it was well, based on their reactions. They all turned to her, and while their weapons weren’t drawn on her specifically, they were eyeing her Persona with a sense of true apprehension.

**"The sacrifice has been made. The Key has breached adulthood. The time has come. The blood moon shall be opened, and He who is Forward and Backward, Open and Closed, The Gate and the Key, He who is Known to All yet Forever Unknown shall begin the ritual to breach the bounds of the Universe.”**

“Futaba, if this is a joke, I do not thing this is the time for it.” Yusuke said.

“...What Yusuke said,” Ann chimed in. “Now isn’t the time for this, Futaba-chan.”

“Listen, Inari, if I had any idea about what was going on, I’d tell you! This isn’t me! I’ve gotten a whole lot better at reading the mood, I’ll let you kn--” She was cut off by the sound of a scream. Her own scream. It was so sudden, a pain jolting through her head as if her own brain was trying to split in two. She gripped her head, her heels digging into the sand as she continued to scream, the looming form of Al Azif seeming more and more foreign to her.

**"Rejoice. For your purpose as a ‘human’ has ended, and my purpose as a ‘herald’ has begun. Humanity shall begin a new era.”**

Panic began to set in. True, primal panic. “Get back! All of you, get back!” Futaba screamed at the top of her lungs, spittle flying from her mouth as she stumbled. The warnings from before seemed to become apparent as she began to stumble toward the water, the foreign Persona following her like a warm of locusts. “Drown… I can drown… I can--” Death. Death was the only option to stop--

**"It is too late for that chance.”**

Futaba’s legs cramped up in a surge of agony as she fell to the ground. The Persona began to glow and spin, changing and shifting shape before slowly lowering and merging back with Futaba. The two figures were surrounded by an almost extraterrestrial neon green pillar of light that shot up so high that it wouldn’t have been a stretch to say that it breached the heavens itself.

**"This is Fate. This is Destiny. While the intentions of the object known as ‘Isshiki Futaba’ were irrelevant, the actions were not. And now, the Purpose of the object has been fulfilled, and therefore become unneeded.”**

“Futaba!” She heard Ren yell, as he ran toward her. His hand reached out to her, and she tried to reach back through the pain.

“R...Ren, it hur--”

Her vision was filled with the blinding green light, and her mind, normally active and racing, seemed to hit a total blank.

* * *

Ren watched as the light subsided. At first, he was relieved to see that Futaba was still standing, and not a pile of dust and ashes. However, his relief quickly turned into horror at what he saw next to the standing Futaba.

“...Whaaaaaaaaat.” Ryuji commented, which seemed like the right reaction.

Two of them. Two Futabas. One standing triumphantly, the other laying incapacitated on the ground. Both of them were wearing their ‘Oracle’ garb, but the one that was standing seemed to be… different. While the outfit was technically the same, it seemed to be more a part of her actual skin and body rather than a costume. The goggles were fused to her head, the red lenses flickering and scrolling with data. The green fingertips had dark, pointed nails that seemed more befitting of a monster than a girl. The green, neon stripes seemed to be more natural and veinlike, pulsating against charcoal black skin in place of the skintight, black bodysuit. Her hair seemed to be the only familiar thing, being bright orange compared to the ‘Futaba’ that was laying on the ground, who’s hair seemed to be stripped of the eccentric dye job and currently possessing an uncomfortably normal black color.

“A… demon?” Yusuke asked.

“A Shadow!” Morgana called out, hissing.

The standing, bright-haired ‘Futaba’ turned to Morgana. Red eyes scanning the cat carefully, before shaking her head. “No. That is incorrect. By definition, a Shadow is the repressed aspect of a person. The ‘id’ that needs to be suppressed due to the rules of society. Aspects that are desperate to form their own identities. However, ‘I’ have an identity. I am ‘Me’. Therefore, as long as ‘I’ am ‘Me’, ‘I’ can not be a Shadow.”

“...Whaaaaaaaaaat?” Ryuji replied, which… Ren could fully identify with, in all honesty. This wasn’t Futaba, but it wasn’t claiming to be a Shadow.

“It is simple, Skull.” ‘Futaba’ continued. “I am not Sakura Futaba. I have my own identity and purpose. Therefore, I am a ‘person’, just like you. However…” She glanced down at the unconscious double of herself. “...No, that is not relevant information at the moment. What is important to you is what remains of ‘Futaba’.” She unceremoniously kicked the dark-haired Futaba’s unconscious body toward Ren, the Phantom Thief watching his surrogate sister roll toward him like a sack of potatoes. Upon closer inspection, he was happy to see her chest rising and falling steadily. She was just asleep, and there didn’t seem to be any injuries on her body.

Ann cracked her whip. “...So, you’re a monster using Futaba-chan’s form, right? Then we just need to defeat you!”

It seemed like the simplest answer. They all prepared to summon their Personas, but their battle-high seemed to fade as quickly as it came when it garnered no reaction from the orange-haired Futaba.

“You cannot.” ‘Futaba’ said simply.

“What does that mean?” Ren asked.

“Hundreds of hours of combat observation. Hundreds of hours of predictions and reactions to your movements. Hundreds of hours of learning your personal habits and inclinations. Scanning and data collection. That is the purpose of ‘Al Azif’. I know what you will do before you do it.” The Stranger continued. She seemed to be simply stating facts. There was no sense of smugness, or confidence. She simply said what she knew. She understood their actions better than they did, and therefore they would lose. “Mona. You desire proof that I am more than a Shadow. Then I shall prove it. Come…”

The air seemed to grow still, before a glowing orb of light flickered above The Stranger.

“Persona. Arise, Kitab Al-Azif.”

Ren wished he knew what the Persona looked like. It seemed to be some three-dimensional, non-Euclidan shape, that kept changing each time he blinked. The most he could understand was that it was an object that existed in the world, and even that was nebulous. 

“Gah, screw this! Why’re we bein’ so passive!” Ryuji yelled, charging towards the foreign Persona and ‘Futaba’. He swung his bat, before it collided with another, similar object. The Stranger seemed to be surrounded by some sort of barrier, and was casually projecting a almost perfect, shadowy copy of Ryuji that had blocked his swing. 

Ryuji swung again.

The copy did the same.

The two blows continued to connect, again and again as their moves were mirrored. Of course, this meant one thing. A stalemate. But considering that Ryuji was human, and the projection wasn’t, then Ryuji was ultimately going to run out of energy.

Morgana hopped up on Ren’s shoulder. “I get what you’re thinking, and Ryuji is going to lose, but look closer. That other Futaba is going to win out of skill. Not pure attrition.” 

Ren squinted at the clash, before his eyes widened. He had been wrong when he assumed that they had been mirroring each other blow for blow. This was… different, and he had to double check what he was seeing.

The copy was attacking _first_. When The Stranger said that she knew what they would do beforehand, that truly wasn’t a bluff. She had flipped their perceived ideas about the interaction on its head. It was almost as if Ryuji was forced into mimicking the moves that the copy was throwing out first, until the copy chose to break the pattern, swinging their dark bat straight at Ryuji’s temple, knocking him away.

“Ryuji!” Ann yelled, summoning her Persona before her leg was caught by a shadow-clad whip as The Stranger produced another shadow-like creature, this one in the shape of Ann. However, instead of manipulating flames, it was using ice-based magic. The freezing whip wrapped around Ann’s leg, yanking her to the ground and dragging her backward.

Yusuke darted forward. “Don’t worry, I--” He barely had a chance to finish before his own katana was sliced in half by another shadow. 

“Wait, everyone- Senpais- let’s retreat, please!” Sumire had yelled, realizing that this battle was pointless.

“Unfortunately, no.” The Stranger responded. “This ends here.”

It spun- Ren could follow the movements of the strange Persona that much- and four small beams of light seemed to spark from it. They were incredibly thin and fast, yet they hit Ann, Ryuji, Sumire, and Yusuke with a sense of force that seemed as if they had all been slammed by a subway. All four of them flew in different directions, pained expressions on their faces.

The Stranger spoke. “The ‘original’ Al Azif was inept when it came to combat. I am different. This is a spell that I have developed just now for this specific moment. I shall call it: ‘Qliphoth Miasma’.”

Ren’s eyes narrowed. “...It didn’t seem like a ‘miasma’ to me. Isn’t that supposed to be more of a virus?”

 _”Leader!”_ Sophia called out. _”The others! Their readings- respiration, circulation, even brain functions-- they’re becoming frantic!”_

Ren looked at the members of his team, as they all seemed to be struggling on the ground, before spores seemed to form around their body. 

“Ah- what is this stuff?” Ann asked, trying to summon her own Persona to burn them away, and yet they seemed to remain regardless. “Get off!”

Ryuji shook his arms and tried his best to brush the spores away. “Gah- this shit’s gross! What the hell-”

“Joker!” Yusuke yelled, struggling to stand up. “M-my legs… I can’t move!”

“S-Senpai!” Sumire screamed. “My body… it’s numb!”

Sponge-like spores, that seemed to expand and cover each and every one of them in a sickly-looking cocoon. Ren ran over to where Sumire was, trying to break it open and brush the growing spores away, but found that his fingers couldn’t gather any purchase. It seemed to be both immensely sticky and sickeningly smooth to the touch. His fingers would slip off one part, and then snag to another.

 **”It is no use. Hands born of this world can’t hope to break the fabric of another.”** Eligor said. Ren was started. He had… well, legitimately forgot that Eligor was there, which seemed like a massive oversight on his part. 

“...We’re running, Ren.” Morgana hissed. “Now.”

He looked at the four cocoons. “No, we can’t--”

 _”I agree with Mona, Leader. This mission is a failure. The best course of action is to retreat.”_ Sophia chimed in.

There was a pause as The Stranger stared at him while he struggled with the cocoons. She shook her head, sighing. “No. No, not yet. First you must witness the Beginning of the End of Ignorance. Eligor.”

The Demon, massive as he was- looming at least ten feet over the teenage girl bowed his head, absolutely refusing to make eye contact. **”I will heed your words.”**

“You will be the sacrifice for the First Stanza, along with the people you slaughtered. Do it quickly. I want this ritual to be efficient.”

Ren and Morgana had stopped entirely, their eyes drifting to the large, looming demon. Without any sort of hesitation or fear, he lifted his massive spear, spun it so that it was pointing towards his own chest, and ran himself through with it. His golden cape splattered with dark, demonic blood as he fell backward off his mount, sinking into the same growing, copper ring that had consumed all of those innocents beforehand without any sort of fanfare. 

There was silence, before the copper ring began to bubble and rise. A form rose from the ocean, not that of a creature, but that of a building. A circular building, like a coliseum, except it seemed to be layered, over and over again. Floor after floor after floor rising upward. None of it seemed consistent. Some floors seemed to be overgrown with moss, others resembled buildings from Japan, Rome, and China- some of the floors even seemed to have a design that seemed to mimic that of what one would assume would be the aesthetic of a ‘distant’ future. It seemed to be a culmination of thousands of different cultures and histories- some that seemed familiar, and some that seemed foreign on a conceptual level, yet unnervingly recognizable. The floors were growing far too high to count, and even looking down into the water, Ren could tell that just as this building seemed to grow infinitely upward, it was growing infinitely downward as well.

Without a word, The Stranger walked toward the tower. It was quite a ways off in the water, but her feet seemed to walk on the Pacific Ocean with the same ease as if she were strolling across tile. Ren ran to the water's edge. 

“Wait! We’re not just ending it here!” He yelled. “Come back, you Fake Futaba!”

The Stranger paused, before turning around to Ren. “...A name. I am ‘Me’ now, therefore carrying the name of ‘Futaba’ would be both redundant and counterproductive.”

Morgana hopped back on Ren’s shoulder. “You’re just ‘Al Azif’ given shape, right?”

There was another beat, where The Stranger seemed to look at Morgana with an expression that just barely resembled pity. “...Another given into Ignorance, simply due to a lack of Knowledge. I will fix that. But for now… I suppose the name that is most aesthetically fitting would be… ‘Lavinia’. From now on, you will address me as such. You may retreat now in your utter failure. I will give you your chance at hope soon enough.”

And with that, The Stranger- ‘Futaba’- ‘Lavinia, left into the Tower. A moment of tense silence hung over Ren and Morgana, before the two of them turned back to look at the sleeping, dark haired Futaba. Or… perhaps this was the only being that they could really call ‘Futaba’. They quickly approached her, Ren picking her up and noting how much lighter she felt, and how frailer she looked. 

_”Leader…”_ Sophia began. _”I wish I was of more use…”_

Ren was quiet for a long time. He was seething. Furious. He should have fought harder- he knew he could have fought harder. By pure instinct he summoned one of his many Personas, the massive form of Satanael bursting forth from the Sea of Souls in a tidal wave of dark flames. The Persona was massive, several stories tall with glittering golden horns and shining silver armor. Six black, leathery wings flapped in the air, their slight movements causing the calm winds to pick up into a storm. It pulled out a massive rifle, and began firing. Firing shells that pierced the heads of gods. Shooting into the massive, endless tower, daring for it to collapse. Each bullet shattering and breaking another layer, causing it to shiver and shudder- crash and fall ever so slightly after each layer was broken apart.

But the tower was infinite. And chipping away ‘one’ from ‘infinity’, still left infinity. Still, he continued to fire, hoping that it would solve something- knowing that it wouldn’t, but also knowing that he couldn’t walk away without at least knowing that he tried. The spiritual energy that needed to upkeep such a massive creature was draining from him quickly, and he found his grip on Futaba faltering, and his confidence wavering and weakening as he dropped to one knee, exhausted. He felt his fingers digging into the sleeping Futaba, although she still didn’t seem to stir despite all of the commotion. 

“Joker. _Ren_.” Morgana mewed, with a sigh. “Let’s just go home. Please. There’s nothing we can do right now. For the others, and for ourselves. If you burn yourself out now, we won’t have a chance.” The black cat reasoned. “This makes me mad too- being this powerless- but we’re usually the underdogs, right? We can figure this out.”

 _”That is right!”_ Sophia added, _”This may be more dangerous than a Palace, and certainly different than a Jail, but I believe that we can do this together! I will try my best, Joker!”_

Despite the optimistic words, neither Ren, Sophia or Morgana had a real plan. Still, they needed to latch on to something. All they could do was hope and try and work out a plan. 

“...Right.” Ren said, quietly. “Thanks, you two.” He turned, staring up at the infinitely growing tower, then at the four cocoons that held his friends, then at the entrance that their newest foe had stepped into. He took a deep breath, looking back down at Futaba. “...Let’s get back and get Futaba somewhere safe. Then we can start working out an infiltration route.” His eyes narrowed, as he turned away and focused back at the city in the shadow of the massive construct. He took in a sharp breath.

“Whatever we need to win has to be inside that tower. I just feel it.


	7. The First Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi and Nanako hit it off. Akechi and Teddie not so much.
> 
> The First Demon is truly summoned.

“Huuuh? You’re the real Detective Prince Akechi?!”

Akechi grimaced, stepping back. This bear-suited boy was… obnoxiously loud. He was regretting saving it and the girl to begin with. He wasn’t even sure why he had done that… it certainly wasn’t in his character to do so. Still… perhaps it was the fact that he had manifested ‘Robin Hood’ for this battle- his instincts from when he was pretending to be an ‘ally of justice’ instead of himself kicked in. He rubbed his right temple, his face affixed into a scowl. At least they had handled the enemies. That was one less eyesore that he needed to concern himself with.

“That’s right. I am Akechi Goro, former Detective Prince.” He said, calmly. He assumed that once his crimes had gone public, any hope of him being related to the real ‘detective prince’ was long gone. It was a bit of a shame, really, but the title hadn’t meant much to him.

Still, having any sort of title stripped away certainly wasn’t a good feeling.

The little girl- ‘Nana-chan’- Akechi assumed her name was something simple like ‘Nanami’ or ‘Nanako’. She seemed like an excessively ordinary girl- perhaps from a small town. Her name aside, she spoke up, her voice quiet and nervous.

“But… I thought they said that Akechi-sama was killed.”

Akechi raised an eyebrow. What was…’Sama’? Ah, right. Detective Prince. Based on old papers and interviews he found, it didn’t seem uncommon to refer to the former one- Shirogane Naoto, as ‘Naoto-sama’ as a sign of respect. But that didn’t just mean that they were a ‘detective prince’- the Shirogane’s were part of a long family line of detectives, worthy of an honorific such as that. And even stranger still, since he knew for a fact that the knowledge of him being a ‘sham’ had been made public. That all the major crimes he solved had been perpetrated by him to begin with. It was one of the bigger reveals that came with the desecration of Shido.

...So, if she knew that, why did she seem to be treating him with respect? Was it sarcasm? She certainly seemed like the type to say something she didn’t mean, perhaps something vaguely insulting, and manage to get away with it simply via her ‘cute factor’. 

“You can just use ‘-san’ with me, Nanako-kun.” He said after a moment of deliberation, calmly, watching as the girl’s eyes widened.

“Y-you know my name?”

“It was a simple deduction.” It honestly was. Getting ‘Nana-chan’ from that boy in the bear suit, he simply had to glance over her appearance for any additional information. And, like most children, her name was written on the tag of her shirt, which had popped out during the scuffle. Still, based on the quality of the ink, it was an older shirt with what looked to be a platypus on it, but apparently it meant enough to the girl to write her name down on it in the case that it had gotten lost. 

“Uwaah-- Akechi-sama is super amazing, isn’t he!!” Nanako yelled, clear admiration in her voice. 

The boy that was formerly in a bear suit raised his hand. “Do me! Do me!”

Akechi stared at him with disdain. “Considering that ridiculous costume of yours and your demeanor, your friends probably just call you ‘Kuma’ to conserve breath and precious time when referring to you verbally or in text.”

The bear smirked, puffing out his chest proudly. “He-he-heeeh! Zrrt! Wrong! My friends call me ‘Teddi--’.” The bear stopped, his eyes widening with a somewhat panicked expression. “Wait… is this one of those ‘lost in translation’ jokes…?!”

Akechi ignored ‘Teddie’, folding his arms as he glared at Nanako. “Both of you need to get back to your homes now. It isn’t safe out here. You’re lucky I was here to protect you, but you won’t get so lucky next time.”

Nanako stared back, frowning. “But… don’t you need to go back too? I don’t want to leave Akechi-sama--”

“Akechi-san.” He corrected. “And I’ll be fine.” He found meeting her gaze a bit more difficult than he had expected. While she had the same impudent, rebellious gaze that came with any teenager or pre-teen with a modicum of an attitude, but there was certainly something else. He didn’t know what she encountered, but whatever it was, it was leaving her wound up. Like a jammed cog, straining and straining, holding the rest of the machine back. Like she was about to--

“Wha--” The bear- Teddie- stumbled back, as the ground began to shake violently. 

“An earthquake…?” He mumbled, before Nanako pointed out ahead.

“Look! There’s something coming out of the bay!”

A large structure. A tower, shooting out from the ocean. It seemed to raise infinitely, each layer- each floor with a different theme, and a different era. The noise should wake up all of Tokyo. He checked his watch. It was almost one in the morning- the entire city would most likely wake up to this sight. After all, if the tower seemed to be infinite, then distance didn’t seem to matter much when it came to visibility- at least if the creator wanted everyone to see.

“...Holy moly… that’s a big tower. I mean--” Teddie glanced at Nanako, before whistling innocently. “Welp, no reason to go to it, I’m sure the police can handle it, so how about we go back to the ho--”

“Let’s go check it out, Teddie!” Nanako exclaimed, prompting a long sigh from Teddie. “This is our next big clue!” She turned to Akechi. “I’ve always been interested in detectives! I want to be one when I grow up too!”

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “A detective? It’s not an incredibly glamorous job. Don’t most girls your age want to be idols…?”

Nanako nodded. “I want to be an idol too! Risette and Naoto say I can be both if I try super hard!”

Akechi paused. R...Risette? And she could only be speaking about Shirogane as well, right? But to refer to them so casually…? Maybe she had just seen some posters, or gotten a response to some fan mail with a generic message like ‘Good luck! Do your best!’. 

He decided not to think about this any further, and suddenly began moving toward the tower, using the strength of his Persona to make it over the gaps in the building. Annoyingly enough, he realized that Teddie and Nanako seemed to be following him. What seemed to unconsciously irk him was the lone figure walking away from the Tower as Akechi drew closer, a black cat on his shoulder.

“Jo--”

“We’re coming too, A-sketchy!!” Teddie yelled out, Akechi’s train of thought coming to a painful, screeching halt as his concentration slipped, and he hit the ground in front of the tower with an ‘umph’. He rolled for a few feet, coughing before a wave of healing magic washed over him. He dizzily looked over at the bear, who landed a few feet from him (safely, Akechi noted, annoyed) holding the girl in his arms.

“Sorry, Akechi-sama!” Nanako yelled out.

“Whoops, my bad…ehehe…” The bear chuckled. “Still, this is a heckuva tower, isn’t it?” The bear looked up, Akechi following his gaze. While it seemed natural for an object to seem bigger up close, the pressure coming from this Tower seemed… overwhelming. Insanely so. He slowly stood up, dusting himself off, before he felt a presence.

“A Persona…!” He backed up quickly, the bear’s eyes narrowing.

“I smell something… something bad! Like the Reaper…!” 

The Reaper. Now there was a consistent term. He had seen the bear use a Persona earlier, so it made sense that he had been through similar situations. But that stench of death- a Shadow capable of giving the rulers of Palaces a run for their money. 

No, this wasn’t the stench of death. This was something unfamiliar. It made Akechi’s stomach turn as it true closer, the faint form of Robin Hood manifesting behind him as it drew closer.

And closer.

Robin Hood drew back his bow.

And closer.

Holy magic began to gather around Akechi and his Persona.

Before it was gone. Passing by him like it was nothing more than a breeze.

“Okay, so we’re not going in now, right?!” Teddie yelled, but Nanako was already heading toward the massive Tower. “H-hang on, Nana-chan! Where are you going?! Didn’t you feel that!?”

Akechi watched, raising an eyebrow. Her expression was… well, justifiably fearful, but she was clearly trying to stay calm. He wondered what was going through her head, as she marched toward what seemed to be complete and total suicide. She didn’t seem to have a death wish, she was too young and energetic about her future prospects for something as grim as that, but…

Akechi slid his hands in his pockets, following behind coolly, his interest piqued. “We’ll, it seems Nanako-kun has the mind of a detective. We’ll scout out the Tower, and leave before it becomes dangerous.”

“Gah--!! Et tu, Akechi-sketchy?!” Teddie yelled. “Grr- fine, but if she gets a single scratch, I’m tellin’ Sensei that it was your fault!” The bear grumped, following behind as the three of them entered the massive, gaping entrance to the Tower.

The inside of the Tower was dark. If there was one thing that felt immediately off to Akechi, it was that the inside seemed much wider than the outside. That, and, while he couldn’t see a thing- the resulting echoes from the sound of their footsteps seemed to ebb and change in volume, meaning one thing: the walls themselves were in a constant state of changing- widening and constricting. Adjusting and changing. The ground they were on felt solid enough- like smooth marble, not any sort of cracks or tiling. Just an empty, smooth floor. 

“We should get out of here…” The bear muttered. “Especially you, Nana-chan! Running in like that was beary irresponsible!” He scolded the young girl. It was so dark that Akechi couldn’t see her face, but he could practically feel the pre-teen sulk that was radiating off the girl. Akechi remained silent, relying fully on his senses to make sure that they weren’t about to bump into some creature, fall into a pit, or encounter any other asinine occurrence that usually followed a supernatural situation like this. He held his arm out, the bear and the girl bumping into it with a collective ‘umph’ as he put a finger to his lips- and realizing that they couldn’t see that motion- hissed with a ‘shh’. 

“There’s someone up ahead.” He whispered. 

The bear pushed against Akechi’s arm, trying to get closer to see despite the clear warning. “Huh? Where-- oooh.”

There was a girl. Despite all explanations, she was perfectly visible. Almost as if she had been simply… pasted onto the empty darkness, instead of existing in the same space. The closest thing Akechi could relate it to would be like putting a sticker on top of a pre-rendered background. The lighting didn’t seem to match- for obvious reasons. And, again- despite all logical explanation, there seemed to be a faint, visible shadow underneath her. Although, instead of being stationary, it seemed to be rotating around the girls body.

Of course, calling her ‘the girl’ seemed inappropriate. He knew who she was. She was the spitting image of Sakura Futaba- Oracle of the Phantom Thieves. Although something seemed different. While she was in her Phantom Attire, the outfit seemed more… natural. As if it had been fused with her flesh, or given more animalistic traits. The neon stripes pulsed, the black bodysuit seemed less rubbery. The red lenses of her visor seemed to be genuinely staring at him.

“Lavinia.” The girl said, as soon as he opened his mouth to call out her name- perhaps in tandem with a snide comment. Akechi raised an eyebrow.

“Pardon?”

“I am ‘Lavinia’. Joker of the Phantom Thieves already received the body of ‘Futaba’. I am ‘me’, no longer ‘her’.”

...Okay. He didn’t really understand the point of this farce, but for the time being he was going to play along. “Well, ‘Lavinia’, you don’t seem incredibly shocked at me being alive.”

“There was a chance, albeit small, that you would resurface and attempt to interfere.” ‘Lavinia’ replied without skipping a beat. “If I was ‘her’, then I would call you a cockroach. Considering I am not, I will not refer to you as such, but the chances of you legitimately dying in such a pathetic manner was unlikely. If you had truly perished then, then ‘she’ would have had a lot less sleepless nights, so seeing you alive is rather cathartic. And also, therefore, I am not surprised.”

“I feel like you’re sandbagging a rather large revelation. Especially considering our history together, Oracle-san.” He said. Despite her stoic exterior, bringing up memories of Wakaba and her death would surely cause a rise out of her.

...The girl didn’t even twitch. Her gaze grew colder, but less out of hatred, and more out of what seemed to be boredom.

“If you wish for a reaction, go see Joker. However, your existence is meaningless to me. As far as you go, you are yet another Player. Ah, no. You’re more like a cameo character, aren’t you? A side character, or unwanted DLC people only buy for collection purposes.” She gave him a knowing smile. “...’Featuring Akechi Goro, from the ‘Unwanted Bastard’ Series’, right?”

He felt her gaze drift off him for a moment after that comment, focusing on either the bear or the little girl with a small ‘...hooh’, as if she had realized something.

Akechi wanted to react with anger. It seemed like it made the most sense. But the only thing that was welling up inside him was a sense of unease. Futaba- ‘Lavinia’- her smile was wrong. To describe it as ‘demonic’ in any capacity would be incorrect, as it didn’t hold a single bit of malice. It didn’t contain hatred, or playfulness, or any sense of joy be it malignant or benevolent. It was as if she was an alien who had been told the very basics of what a grin was, and tried to replicate it without any sort of practice. And her way of speaking, too. Her voice, despite the jaring, sharp words, had been completely even. There was no humor in her voice. Her goal was not humiliation. It was just the truth. As if she was just stating facts. And, in a way, she was. Akechi Goro was both an unwanted bastard child, and as far as he could tell, he had no relevance in her eyes. He was…

“A bug in the system.” Lavinia finished, her eyes not breaking from him. A chill ran down his spine. Could she read his thoughts? Had the analytical capabilities of her Persona gifted her with telepathy?

“Nothing of the sort.” Lavinia ‘replied’. “It’s simply that your thoughts are predictable. You humans are predictable. It is your greatest flaw, and your greatest asset. And of course, you have been wondering if I am really here or not, correct? Attack me and find out. You’ve already begun reaching for your weapon.”

Akechi grit his teeth, his hands freezing. He had hoped that their conversation would have given him ample time to grab his gun and fire a few rounds, but of course she had clocked that. This was why he hated the Phantom Thieves. They always felt like they were one step ahead of him- that they understood his moves. The police couldn’t figure out his crimes back in 2017- and these brats--!

“Do not worry, Crow.” Lavinia said. “Anyone with a working brain could figure out your schemes given knowledge of the Metaverse. The blame doesn’t rest on the Phantom Thieves. I’m sure even an ape with a typewriter could discern ‘Akechi Did It’ after one prolonged conversation with you.” She turned around. “And don’t bother attacking. I would save your energy.” She began walking away, her long dyed hair trailing behind her as she held her arms behind her back. Her footsteps echoed, confirming what had just been said. 

“W-we’re just letting her go?” The bear asked. “That seems beary bad! We need to strike while the iron is hot!”

“Maybe we should leave… I think she said her piece.” Nanako whispered.

“Conserve our energy for what, Oracle?!” 

Lavinia stopped, turning to them. She was smiling- again, that unnatural, emotionless smile. Except it seemed a little too wide. A little too strained. The inside of her mouth was a little too dark and gaping. Empty. Hollow. “Ah… my apologies. I didn’t explain the rules of the ‘Game’. I figured that explaining it to you all would be worthless. After all, you will find yourselves dead or traumatized. Still, even my conjecture can be off by a bit.” Her red lenses flared, as the soles of Akechi’s shoes began to feel wet, and the ground began to crack.

“W-water!” The bear yelled, as if it wasn’t obvious already.

 _”...’Ezphares, Olyaram, Irion-esytion’… I call forth of you, king of the seas, keeper of the mysteries of the depths…”_ Lavinia began to chant- her voice taking on an inhuman, otherworldly echo as her voice seemed to be layered with more, unfamiliar voices. The neon veins running across her body beginning to shine and pulse faster, letters in a language that Akechi didn’t recognize flashing across her body. _“...’Eryona, Orea’… great bull that commands over the lands, the seas, and the air. Walk forth with your legions, and bring wit to the witless… O’ Great King Zagan--”_

The chunk of smooth ground they were standing on began to float as the water rose higher, and Lavinia’s chanting grew more frantic. The water was rising at an insane rate, gallons and gallons seemingly coming in from nowhere. The room began to brighten, before Akechi’s eyes widened at the sight. While before it seemed as if they walked inside a solid tower, it now seemed as if they were stranded on a dark endless sea, with their only footholds being the large chunks of ‘floor’ that had floated with them. 

A dark shadow began to approach from the water. It was the size of a whale- perhaps larger- as it began to rush toward the three of them.

“I… I think we accidentally skipped to the final boss…!” Teddie whimpered. “Grr- fine! I guess we’ll have to fight! Stay behind me, Nana-chan! I promised Sensei that I’d keep you safe, and that’s what I’m gonna do! Rrrrrr- BEARSONA!” The bear’s body burst in a wave of blue flame as Teddie summoned his Persona, Nanako grabbing on to his sleeve with wide, terrified eyes. 

No, terrified wasn’t right. Sure, she was scared, but there was something behind that gaze. The subconscious strengthening of resolve. He had seen it when he had been trailing the Phantom Thieves through the Palaces, whenever one of their idiot friends was about to have their big moment. A sign right before someone snapped, and their pent up power finally got let loose.

“Hooh. Well, Nanako-kun. I hope you show me something interesting.” He muttered to himself.

Akechi looked back at the two of them before scoffing, his eyes focusing on the massive form that was rushing toward them in the water. It breached the surface slightly, two massive horns and feathered wings peaking out from the dark, oceanic waters.

Akechi readied his handgun. “Come to me, Robin Hood. It’s time for us to hunt.”

Lavinia clasped her hands together, her body taut with desperate prayer. _”My will is Its Reality. My body is a catalyst of Its Essence. Devour these ignorant sinners, and turn the first page! ‘Orasym, Mozim’!”_

And the creature that responded to this call, was a beast fit to be called a King.


	8. Spark a Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddie and Akechi go on the offensive with little success. Nanako reaches a revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter? 2 in 1 week? Yep. This is a bit shorter, but I felt like it worked as a joint chapter.

The Demon King Zagan was massive. It was about the size of a cruiseliner, although covered in wet, leathery skin. It had the face of a bull, with wide nostrils and beady eyes that darted back and forth, and massive golden horns that curled and twisted toward the heavens. Two wings, with large feathers splayed outward, with a wingspan that could cover almost two entire football fields. They didn’t seem to flap much, but it was submerged halfway into the vast ocean. It let out a low roar, the volume already causing Nanako’s head to ache. It opened its mouth, revealing rows upon rows of jagged, uneven teeth- teeth that could carve apart anything that happened to land in its mouth. This truly was a beast among beasts. A beast that commanded the land, the air, and the seas. A Leviathan beyond even biblical proportions.

...And that was only the part of the monster that was visible.

Akechi didn’t waste time springing into action, jumping from one floating platform to the next while firing a volley of silver arrows from Robin Hood’s bow, eyes focused. “Bear, help me!” He yelled. Teddie nodded, before looking back at Nanako. 

“Stay put, Nana-chan. We can handle this!” He gave her a wide grin, before jumping out. The two of them began to combat the beast, throwing out spells as fast as they could. The demon king hardly budged, every so often flapping a wing or clamping its jaw open and shut, the pressure causing both Akechi and Teddie to spiral into the water, and have to waste time and energy clamoring back onto a platform. They were nicking the beast, sure, but overall they were barely scratching it. It was like flies buzzing around a cow.

It let out another roar- or perhaps a yawn- loud enough to cause the water to turn into uneven waves. Nanako stumbled backward, moments away from falling before feeling herself get caught. She looked up to see Teddie, who picked her up into a princess carry, before jumping to a larger platform and leaving her there. Before she could say a word, he returned to the fight.

Time seemed to slowly stack up, as their minimal damage was countered by large amounts of knockback every minute or so. This was a battle of attrition, and Teddie and Akechi seemed to be losing. Even when Akechi would do something like land an arrow in the demon’s eye, or Teddie would temporarily freeze the demon’s mouth shut, it ultimately meant nothing in the end.

This wasn’t even a fight. Zagan didn’t waste any energy, while they were burning all of theirs. Nanako bit her lip, her body practically frozen with terror. Was this her fault? If she had just stayed back… if she had just stayed in the hotel and behaved herself, then they wouldn’t be in this situation. And now… they were stuck in a hopeless battle, doomed to die against this massive creature. Her head began to hurt, her small hands gripping and tugging at her hair out of frustration, as she seemed to suddenly be stricken with an intense headache.

“No… I’m sor--”

 _‘No, no… if I die here, then Big Bro will hate me…’_ A familiar voice whined.

Nanako blinked, turning to her side. Her eyes widened as she saw herself, rubbing her eyes and gently sobbing. Whining. Nanako took a step back, as the Other Nanako continued to whimper and sob, crumpling down to her knees.

_‘But I can’t fight… no, it isn’t good for girls to fight… and Big Bro won’t protect me anymore… what should I do… what should I do…?’_

Was this… her? But she didn’t believe that at all! She said that she was going to try her best, and work as hard as possible. She didn’t need to be protected! The Other Nanako sniffed, staring up at Nanako with large, unsettlingly golden eyes. 

_’No, no… but Teddie has been protecting me this whole time… I’m a burden… maybe Big Bro and the others would be happier if I died here… maybe Dad would too… even right now, Teddie is worrying about me more than himself… he’ll die… but maybe if I died first… he could fight back for real…? Boo… hoo… what should I do…?‘_

That… that was true. This whole time, Teddie had to keep looping back to her and making sure she wasn’t injured, and they lost pressure and momentum on that giant monster because of it. She was just baggage, at this point. Still, the voice of this Other Nanako was grating, as if it was literally dragging knives against her nerves. She couldn’t accept what this thing was saying- there wasn’t a chance! 

_’For nine years… you’ve kept me locked away… because you’re scared. Even in your own Heaven… you had to be saved by Big Bro and the others… doesn’t that mean you’ll grow up to be someone useless…?’_

N-no… that wasn’t…

_’Boohoo… I’m such a stupid girl… chasing pipe dreams of becoming a detective, but I’m nowhere near as strong or talented as Big Bro or Dad or even Naoto… it’s not because I’m a girl… I’m just not smart enough… boohoo…’_

“Y-you’re lying… please stop it…”

_’...’I can be an idol and a detective if I try my best’...? What an embarrassing thing to say… and to a real detective no less… what a joke… isn’t it better for me to stick to the sidelines…? Maybe I can just spend the rest of my life stacking cans at Junes… ahaha… ahahaha!’_

“No… no, I can do anything if I put my mind to it! That’s what Big Bro and his friends tell me all the time! You’re just a liar!”

The Gold-Eyed Nanako blinked for the first time, slowly tilting her head to the side. _’Lying…? I’m… lying…? But I’m you… so doesn’t that make you a liar…? No… no, everyone else is a liar…! They just coddle me and tell me what I want to hear, because they think that Nanako-chan is a defenseless little snowflake…! Unremarkable in every way! None of them think I have any real talent! The truth is--!’_

“Be quiet!”

_’I **hate** Big Bro! Always standing above everyone- so far away! He’s so far away, and he never reaches back for me! I wish I had never met him! Then I would just have ordinary dreams, instead of the stupid ones that I have now! I hate him, and I hate Dad, and I hate Teddie, and I hate Big Bro’s Friends, and I hate Inaba!’_

Nanako froze up. Tears, real ones, began to well in her eyes. “T-that’s not true… I wouldn’t say that…! I would never hate them… they’re my friends… and… and…” She bit her quivering lip. “Shut up! You’re not--!”

“Don’t say it, Nana-chan!”

She whipped her head over to Teddie, who was healing a gash in his arm. He was staring at her with glittering blue eyes, his blond hair soaked and matted, but he had a wide, warm smile on his face.

“It’s okay if you have hidden feelings that you aren’t proud of, Nana-chan. Besides, if you say ‘those words’, we’ll have a whole new problem on our hands! So please, hear me out first before you say something we’ll regret!”

“Teddie?! You heard… you’re hearing this too…?” Embarrassment welled up inside her, her cheeks turning bright red. For someone to say such mean things with her face, it… it didn’t feel right. She wanted to curl up and die, or hide and never see the light of day.

Teddie’s eyes darted to check on Zagan for a moment, nodding slightly as Akechi continued to keep the massive beast busy. “Sure, and that’s okay! Yours isn’t as nearly as embarrassing as Yosuke’s or Kanji’s, and a lot more age appropriate than Rise-chan’s! And it’s okay if Nana-chan hates me, because I’ll still be Nana-chan’s friend and greatest knight no matter what! That’s a promise, and Teddie never breaks a promise!”

Her knees felt weak, her eyes glued to the chunk of earth what she was floating on. “But… I don’t hate you, Teddie! I… I just wish I didn’t feel like I was on the outside all the time… it feels like you’re all… leaving me behind…” Again and again, it felt like Yu and the others were hiding things. They would let her in for some conversations, but when it came down to certain topics, they kept on having to steer around it. It made her feel like instead of being part of their group, she was just a roadblock that they carried with them all the time. Maybe that was true… she wasn’t someone good at singing or dancing like Risette, or as funny as Yosuke, or as strong as Chie and Kanji, or as smart and pretty as Yukiko or Naoto… and she was so much younger than them too…

“Hyah-! Teddie Jump!”

Nanako looked up as Teddie leaped into the air, doing a flip before landing in front of her. He reached out, pulling her into a hug. “...I’m sorry, Nana-chan.” She looked up. His smile didn’t seem as bright, but it was much warmer, as he gently patted her on the head. “You had to deal with all these feelings, and you’re only fifteen… Teddie and Sensei should have noticed earlier that you were hurting.”

The Other Nanako stood up, staring at Teddie with empty eyes. _’No… you don’t mean it… you’re just like everyone else… only saying things to make me feel better, so I don’t throw a tantrum! But I’ve never thrown a tantrum! I had to be strong! I never complained when Dad stayed out all night, or if he came home drunk, or if Big Bro ate all the groceries in the fridge, or when he made lunch for his friends but never for me, or when I had to make breakfast and eat it all alone, or when--’_

“...You’re right, I never complained, but maybe I should have…” Nanako whispered. “Big Bro was already doing so much to make me feel better, that I didn’t want to burden him any more… since…”

“But all those things happened years ago…? Aren’t things better now?” Teddie muttered, before lightly slapping himself on the forehead. “Gah, be quiet, me! Just because things happened in the past doesn’t mean they still don’t hurt in the present! I’m being insensitive again. I’m sorry, Nana-chan, but you’re also wrong when you say you’re unremarkable.”

“Incoming!” Akechi yelled, as the massive beast in the background let out an earth-shattering roar, the waves in the ocean growing more violent. It opened it’s massive maw, before firing out a massive wave of energy toward Teddie and Nanako. Her eyes widened, before a massive wall of ice sprouted out from beneath the waves, stopping it in its tracks. The beam strained against the ice, causing it to begin to chip, crack, and melt slowly. Nanako looked up at Teddie, who had a strained look on his face.

“I… I did it again, Teddie… you’re getting tired because you’re wasting time protecting me…” She whispered. She looked down, before feeling Teddie lightly hit his head against hers.

“That’s wrong, Nana-chan! I’m saving your life, because you saved mine!” He yelled.

“I… saved… Teddie? But I… you’ve always had to do things for me…”

“No, when everyone thought Nana-chan was dead in the hospital, I turned into a scaredy-bear and ran away, hoping that I could disappear forever. I found myself wandering alone in the fog, not sure where I was, losing myself slowly, before Sensei came and found me, and told me that you had done the impossible- you came back from death!” His own eyes began to well up, although it was hard to tell whether it was from emotion, or the stress he was putting his body under.

“That’s why… that’s why I know Nana-chan is remarkable! I told myself, ‘if Nana-chan is so amazing that she can come back from the dead, then I want to be a fraction of that’! You always try your hardest, and even now, you’re willing to head into danger. M-maybe you could be a bit less reckless, but still! Nana-chan saved me, and so I’m going to do everything I can to save Nana-chan!”

“T...Teddie…”

He held her tighter. “I know when Nana-chan grows up, she’ll be a remarkable lady. Because no matter what she does, she’ll be a light for everyone, because Nana-chan’s heart is brighter than the scariest things in the world!”

That… that wasn’t true. He was exaggerating. But… had she really left that sort of impact on him. 

“And… if Nana-chan cries, then Teddie’ll cry too! Uwaaaaah--!!!” 

A steady flow of tears trickled onto her hair as she burrowed her face in Teddie’s chest. She looked to the side, the Other Nanako staring at her sternly, but with less malice than before. She gave her Other Self a gentle smile, nodding. It was okay to have doubts, that’s just what being human was about, right? But she couldn’t just lock herself in a box and be afraid of where she was going to go next. She still had plenty of room to learn and grow, and maybe… one day… she could find herself standing next to Big Bro and the others, instead of feeling as if they were miles away. As long as she thought of herself as a burden, she’d unconsciously find herself being one- and as long as she thought she wasn’t worth anything or remarkable, she’d unwittingly ignore all the good things she did. 

But… if she wanted to reach Big Bro, and truly be someone remarkable, she’d have to be more careful. “I can’t die here…” She whispered, reaching out one hand to the Other Nanako. “...Could you please help me… so that I can help the others?” It wasn’t easy to ask for help, nor was it easy to face yourself. But… if she could swallow her own pride, and be the type of person that Teddie insisted that she was, then it would be a strong step to a brighter outcome. She just knew it.

The golden-eyed girl looked at her hand, before grasping it gently with a nod. The girl began to float upward, glowing. Her shape shifting and changing, becoming something more brilliant and otherworldly. An orb of light hovered over Nanako and Teddie loosened his grip on her, and she stepped back quietly, clasping her hands together.

_’I am Thou. Thou art I. I am She who warms the heart, and spurs those to continue onward. You will be safe by my flame…_

It was a young, quiet voice. Not dissimilar to Nanako’s, but more mature and warm. The light faded, and a figure floated behind Nanako. It looked like a woman entirely made of what seemed to be fine-china, with a peaceful expression on her face. She wore a brilliant furisode, the color of flames, shifting and changing like the light of a hearth, with three sets of arms and sleeves. One set of arms was holding a pair of masks, one with a jovial expression, and the other with a furious expression. The next pair seemed to be holding both a flaming sword, and a shining frying pan. The final pair seemed to be neatly folded in front of her, in a similar pose to Nanako. Two, delicate wings- seeming also to be made out of fine china spread out behind the newly born Persona.

Teddie stared at it for a moment, eyes wide. “Nana-chan, that’s amazing--” His praise was short-lived, as the wall of ice behind them cracked and shattered into thousands of pieces from the pressure. The beam drew closer, before the Persona flipped the frying pan, holding it out as a glowing barrier seemed to form before Teddie and Nanako, the massive wave of energy bouncing off it and ricocheting into the depths.

“If Teddie wants to protect me, then I’ll protect Teddie too! I’ll help Teddie, and Big Bro, and the others- that way I can repay them for having faith in me!” She pointed toward Zagan, as Akechi landed on the same platform as them, panting. She closed her eyes, as her Persona spun the frying pan, an intense wave of healing energy washing over the three combatants. The fatigue seemed to entirely fade from Teddie and Akechi. That was just round one before, but now… now they could fight for real… she didn’t need to weigh them down any longer!

“Please, help us win, **Sanbou-Koujin**!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest...
> 
> Nanako has faced her other self...
> 
> She has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships... the Persona **Sanbou-Koujin**!  
> 


	9. Broadcast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Morgana get home. Lavinia makes her presence known.

Ren and Morgana had resolved to walk back home, but that plan quickly fell through once Ren found himself on the verge of passing out. He had been in bad shape since the morning, and the amount of energy he had wasted summoning Satanael didn’t do him any favors. He held back the urge to vomit, his arms going numb from holding Futaba. Eventually, Morgana convinced him to fork over the yen for a taxi- as Ren quietly brooded about the obscene prices. The taxi driver gave a strange look to the young man in the odd costume, accompanied by a noisy cat and holding a passed out young girl in his arms- but money was money, so they managed to get a ride back to Yongen-Jaya. 

The trip seemed like a blur. It was hard for him to think- even more so to focus on anything. He felt as if he were blind, and Morgana was his eyes and ears. The black cat was curled up on his lap, tired as well- albeit less so, giving Ren concerned glances every few minutes. As much as Ren wanted to say that he was fine, that wasn’t true at all. Whenever he looked out the window of the taxi, he saw vague images of his friends being incapacitated. The fear in their eyes, Sumire desperately reaching out to him, believing that he’d be able to help.

He had been entirely useless during that encounter. He felt sick, his stomach churning as his fingers tightened around Futaba’s shoulder. He looked down at the girl, still fast asleep. He hadn’t seen Futaba without dyed hair before. Based on the murals in her Palace, he assumed that it had been dyed before her mother passed away, but there had been a point when she had just been… well, part of the crowd. This Futaba, with her plain-looking hair and her calm demeanor seemed younger, in a way. Something seemed softer, as if the edges of her very being had been rounded out. There were no dark circles around her eyes from spending too much time pulling all-nighters, for one, and that seemed to make all the difference.

“We’re here. Yongen-Jaya.” The taxi driver grunted. Ren looked up slowly as Morgana nudged him.

“...Mnn. Thanks.” Ren murmured.

It took Ren all of his energy to even step out of the taxi, his legs feeling as if they were going to give out at any moment. 

_”When you get home, I suggest going straight to bed. You’re showing very clear signs of exhaustion.”_ Sophia spoke up, Morgana nodding his head in agreement. Ren didn’t say anything, continuing his slow march toward LeBlanc. The streets of Yongen-Jaya were eerily silent, but there were still lights on in LeBlanc. It made sense. Futaba didn’t come home, so of course Sojiro would be waiting for them both. He reached for the doorknob, before Morgana lightly tapped his cheek with a paw.

“Stop, Ren.” Morgana hissed, looking around. “...I think we’re being watched.”

“...’S bad.” Ren mumbled. He was still in his Phantom outfit. 

_”Hostiles are no longer detected. They were out of my general listening range, but we were being observed until Morgana spoke._

Morgana’s ears twitched. “...Well, it’s too late to complain now. They saw us at LeBlanc. We’ll just need to come up with a good bluff if anyone tries to call us out later on.” He nudged Ren gently, prompting him to open the door and stumble inside LeBlanc. The lights were on, and a form was hunched over the bar counter, sitting tiredly on a stool. Sojiro slowly lifted his head up, looking over at Ren quietly. Two years ago, Sojiro would be furious, demanding where they had been and doling out some sort of punishment before the situation could be explained. This time, however, Sojiro just sighed and shook his head.

“Thank god, you came back.”

There was clear disappointment in his voice, but it was speckled with relief and worry as well. Ren shuffled over to one of the booths and set Futaba down. 

“...Sorry.” Ren mumbled, running a hand through the dark, knotted curls of his hair, before sitting down across from the sleeping Futaba. He sighed, his eyes already nearing their limit as he found himself easing closer and closer to sleep. Sojiro looked over at Futaba, before his eyes widened.

“Her hair…”

Right. Futaba had probably walked out the door with bright orange hair, and came back hours later with pitch black. “Mmn. Futaba got cloned. I think.” He mumbled. “There’s a giant tower… Tokyo Bay… something happened to Futaba.” 

Sojiro sighed. “You don’t have to explain it to me now. Look at you, you can barely keep your head up. Get to sleep and we can talk in the morning.”

_”If I may interject- perhaps waiting until morning for an explanation won’t be needed. Chief-san, could you please turn on the television? Any channel. There’s a nationwide broadcast going on.”_

“Huh? Oh, that’s your smartphone, right?” He let out an empty chuckle. “Technology is getting way beyond me these days. But, sure, for once I’d like to be in the know.” He picked up the remote for the small television in the corner of LeBlanc, turning it on. It buzzed for a moment, before the screen came to life, projecting the image of a young woman shrouded in shadow. Her face was obscured, and only the tips of her brightly dyed hair could be seen, but Sojiro immediately recognized her even with the piercing red eyes that seemed to stare past the screen.

“Fu--”

**_”Good evening, people of Tokyo. I am Lavinia. There is a chance that at the very least, 83% of the city was roused by the Shoggoths and the Tower, and due to this being the Age of Information, spreading my message to the remaining 17% still sleeping, and those beyond Tokyo will be a breeze. So, I hope you’re ready for an ‘info-dump’, because I’m only explaining this once.”_**

She spoke calmly, as if this was something she had rehearsed time and time again. Sojiro was looking between the Futaba on the couch, and the Futaba on the screen with wide eyes.

**_”To preface, I am truly sorry for the people who have been killed by the prowling Shoggoths. Their deaths aren’t in vain, however. For their blood has been the catalyst for a new age. Again and again, humanity finds itself trapped--”_** She paused, tapping her chin. **_”No, I do not like that. Speaking for all of humanity as if I am a ruler. That’s wrong. And cliche. My desire for doing this is selfish, but it is a selfishness that I know you all can relate to. Two years ago, a tragedy unfolded in Tokyo. It’s been covered up, sloppily so, but I know you all remember the truth.”_**

The screen flickered to a number of scenes. Demons and shadows rising from a crater in the middle of Tokyo. People being torn to shreds by monsters. Demons kidnapping and enslaving citizens. Scenes that bordered on obscene. A few that bordered on hopeful, with flashes of footage of the few Persona-users in the city fighting back. Those scenes were few and far between the horrors, however. 

“...This must be footage that Al-Azif took from the incident back then.” Morgana hissed. “Some of it looks like it was taken from security cameras as well. And she managed to collect this in just a number of hours…” Morgana trailed off, but Ren could follow the gist of it. If she managed to gather this much specific information in such a short amount of time, then they were dealing with someone that they couldn’t just outwit easily. Futaba’s hacking skills were already scary, but they had the limited restriction of Futaba being human. Lavinia, on the other hand...

**_”We live in a world of demons. A world where we, despite ignorantly thinking that we reside at the top of the food chain, are actually closer to the bottom. This is why that Tower in Tokyo Bay has appeared. My ‘Tower’. It harbors thirteen- no, twelve demons with immense knowledge and power, and the Tower itself has been slowly gathering information from across the city. Of course, by tomorrow, it will be the country. Then the entirety of the Northern Hemisphere, and so on and so forth. And, as my ‘roots’ spread and elongate, so will the reins of the Shoggoths.”_**

Sojiro scratched his beard. “She keeps mentioning Shoggoths, but… what are those exactly? She’s talking about them like they’re… soldiers or hounds.”

_”I’ll do some research, but I believe ‘hounds’ would be the simplest way to put it at the time being.”_ Sophia chimed in, her face appearing on the screen. Her bright blue eyes seemed to dim a bit in worry, as her avatar nervously pulled at her bangs.

“You seem worried, Sophie.” Ren said, closing his eyes for a moment.

_”I’m going through my personal data. I’m Sophia, designed to be a ‘good friend to the people’. Something like ‘Shoggoths’... I guess if I am ‘pro-people’, those types of creatures are ‘anti-people’. Even Shadows and Demons come from humanity, but…”_ She trailed off, her brow furrowing a bit. _”More importantly, she is passively running a cyber-attack.”_

“...Passively?” Morgana asked. “As in, she’s just… running a full-scale cyber-attack on the entirety of Tokyo, and doing this broadcast?”

_”I’m using Pandora to stop it from leaking onto your personal device, and Futaba’s personal laptop at Sojiro’s home, but it isn’t easy.”_

Ren smiled. “So you can use your Persona in that way too… I forgot how capable you are, Sophie. Good work.”

Lavinia coughed curtly into her hand. **_”A-hem.”_**

Ren looked up. Had… Lavinia been waiting for them? She had been rather silent during their short conversation, but it wasn’t as if she was listening in, right? Sophia had just said that she was pushing back against Lavinia’s influence as much as she could. But...

**_”Moving along, there are two options. If I gather enough information, then I will share it with the world. Omniscience for all people. You will be able to see the past, present, and future, and enjoy the world as you wish. Reality will be perfect, and suffering will be gone. If you do not want that however, then the other option is to challenge the Tower. It’s simple, if you all can manage to kill even one of my demons, then you can challenge and try to stop me.”_**

So, two options. Either wait and be given ‘omniscience’, or you get an unlimited number of attempts to challenge the Tower and try to stop her. Still… the death of one demon is enough? Ren supposed that a normal group of people couldn’t easily kill a demon, but what about him and Morgana with their Personas?

**_”Now, here’s a twist. There are some people in Tokyo with ‘special abilities’. They’ll have to fight as many demons as it takes to get to me at the end. They’ll also only get one ‘life’. If they lose once, then they are not allowed to challenge again, and I will leak the data regarding the ‘Phantom Thieves’. Their identities, personal information, everything. This, of course, is to stop you from wantonly blaming them for this occurrence. We are enemies, and I have already taken out four of them. If you want a list of everyone marked as ‘special’, I listed them on the former Phan-Site!”_**

“...How considerate of her.” Morgana groaned. 

“She took over the Phan-Site? Already?” Ren blinked. Although he supposed it made sense. It wouldn’t be the first time Futaba hacked the site. “...Mishima is going to be pissed.”

**_”Anyways, here’s the breakdown. Either sit back and gain the knowledge of gods, or try and stop the spread of Knowledge. Normies get infinite tries to kill one demon. ‘Others’ get one try, and have to hack their way to the end. Maybe they’ll find a way through without needing to fight, but that won’t make good television, will it? I’m going to be broadcasting every fight and… well, we have our first ‘Other’ battle going on now.”_**

“...Normies?” Sojiro muttered. “...That really is Futaba, isn’t it?”

The screen flickered to a battle scene. Three people were fighting against what looked like a massive demon. Three people with Personas. One blond boy, a young girl, and a man with shaggy brown hair. Ren squinted at the screen as the fight continued on, before the image flickered back to the shadow-clad Lavinia.

**_”Don’t bother. They’re going to win.”_** She announced. **_”Not because of their ‘tenacity as humans’, or their ‘hopes for the future’, but because of their team comp!”_** The coldness in her voice seemed to shatter, revealing a tone that belayed legitimate irritation. **_”Seriously, they have two healers- one of them with barriers and the other with buffs- and then they have a high-level DPS that can debuff? They’re playing shitty stall tactics, and Zagan- one of my most powerful demons- is too slow to crank out more damage than they can heal! How boring is that! I swear, people who rely on stalling are the absolute worst!”_** Her hands were clenched into tight fists, before she relaxed and cleared her throat, speaking again in the same robotic monotone as if her rant hadn’t even happened.

**_”...Nonetheless, this is a good first victory. The Tower will open officially at midnight for all of you to challenge. The broadcasts will be 24/7- outside of 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Try your best, everyone. I’m truly looking forward to see what you call can do.”_** The screen cut back to a broadcast of the fight, as Ren sighed. 

“Looks like we have our next big problem. Still, I think it’s doable.”

“Sure, Sophia, can you try and figure out who the people currently fighting are? Ren’s got to get to bed. I’ll stay up and keep an eye on our Futaba.” Morgana said, giving Ren a sideways glance.

_”Can do, Mona._

“But Morgana--” Ren grimaced as Morgana’s side-eye turned into a full-on glare.

“Go. To. Sleep. We have our goal: ‘Get to the end of the Tower’. We can come up with a plan tomorrow. Remember, if we lose, then your life is pretty much over if Lavinia decides to leak everything, and I’m assuming that she’ll just move along with her plan if we don’t hurry to her in time. So let’s be diligent, smart, and focused.” Morgana chuckled. “Besides, you look beat. We can’t have our leader looking ragged, right?”

Ren nodded, before picking up his phone. “Let’s just… check the Phan-Site first.” He pulled it up, staring at the screen for a moment.

The Phan-Site was entirely different, the color scheme black and green instead of red and black- a current counter with the amount of deaths, tower attempts, and victories listed- all of them except for the ‘deaths’ were set at 0. A video screen ‘livestreaming’ the current fight in the center of the page, and of course, the comment box.

* * *

> **ANON** : so this is just some ARG shit, right?  
>  **ANON** : people are dead asshole  
>  **ANON** : bro so what do we lose by waiting? Nothing? But we get infinite knowledge?  
>  **ANON** : There has to be a catch  
>  **ANON** : -Deleted by Admin-  
>  **ADMIN** : Let’s keep things civil! And the Phantom Thieves will handle this!  
>  **ANON** : didnt she just say she killed 4 of them wwwww  
>  **ADMIN** : She’s just bluffing! For sure!!  
>  **ANON** : Lavinia-chan has a cute voice… and she seems like a gamer? Maybe we should let her have her way...  
>  **ANON** : wwwww simp  
>  **ANON** : Bad taste in tactics tho. Stalling is legit strat  
>  **ANON** : -Deleted by Admin-  
>  **ADMIN** : Be. Civil.  
>  **ANON** : ARE WE IGNORING THE FACT THAT SHE SAID DEMONS WERE REAL???  
>  **ANON** : she sounds similar to one of the people on that shido calling card… maybe her and the PTs had a falling out?  
>  **ANON** : wwwww My conspiracy blog was right this entire time!!  
>  **ANON** : Lavinia-chaaaaan~~! If you’re reading this I love you!!!!  
>  **ANON** : -_- she wont fuck u bro  
>  **ANON** : I’m team Lavinia-chan, tbh. Especially if she’s gonna leak PT info? Thats a win win  
>  **ANON** : ...Is everyone else missing that she called all of us ‘normies’ or what  
>  **ANON** : i always knew that the end of the world would come at the hands of a redditor

* * *

...Mishima had a lot to handle, it seemed like. Although he didn’t blame them. This was a strange occurrence, and considering how much was going on, having so many varied opinions- especially in favor of Lavinia, didn’t seem too odd. There were no easily visible detriments to her proposal, but… at the same time, Ren couldn’t help but feel that a part of it was wrong. 

There didn’t seem to be a ‘loss’ condition for anyone but the Phantom Thieves either. This was definitely unorthodox. There wasn’t a time-frame, just the idea of ‘stop her before she gathered enough information’, but that was so vague and she already seemed to be gathering intel so quickly that their time frame could range from one day to a month. Or maybe the lack of a solid timeframe was intentional. She knew how Ren operated off a calendar-based planning system, carefully figuring out what to do each day, and what days to ‘infiltrate’. Getting rid of a goal like that was sure to throw him off.

Ren scratched his head, before nodding, and glancing over to Sojiro. 

“I’m spending the night here. I’ll sleep in one of the booths.” The older man said. “I don’t want to move Futaba around too much, so I’ll wait until she wakes up.” He gave Ren a warm smile, although it definitely seemed more than a little forced. “I’m not cut out for all this ‘Phantom Thief’ and ‘Demon’ stuff, but I’ll support you as much as I can. Now get to bed, before I have to do something drastic again like establish a curfew.”

“...Right. Thanks, Sojiro.” He nodded, turning and heading up the stairs into the attic. 

He almost passed out right then and there as he landed face-first on the bed. He had been… tired for most of the night, but now that he was openly acknowledging it, he felt as if his body weighed a thousand pounds. He found himself drifting further and further into sleep.

…

He felt that sinking feeling again. He found himself steadily spinning and flipping in slow circles, trapped in perpetual motion as if he were a bug stuck in the center of a lake. His spinning began to slow as he looked around the darkness, before a pair of red eyes appeared before him. His heart seemed to stop for a moment, as he choked on air, and his body froze in place.

The same gigantic creature from his dream earlier. The same flaming hair, the same glowing green veins, the same vacant stare as if it saw far beyond just him. It reached out to Ren, luminescent fingers flickering with an otherworldly light. He tried to pull away, before he felt his consciousness slowly drift away, farther than sleep would allow, his self beginning to crumble and shift before…

* * *

He opened his eyes. They felt tired. Exhausted even, as if they had been open for hours. A computer screen was shining in front of him, the light seeming to sting at his eyes despite the brightness clearly being turned down. She tried to read the words on the screen, coming up with nothing but gibberish. He looked around for a bit, before his eyes rested on a name badge. Letters seemed to shift and change, and he only managed to grab the bare minimum, the rest returning to an unreadable mess.

█a███a ███h██i.

No good. 

He felt his fingers tightening against a pen, irritatedly and impatiently tapping against a notepad that he, again unfortunately, couldn’t seem to read. His gaze seemed to shift around the desk he was at, and then the room. It seemed like a home office, and… well, his sensation of touch seemed to be too accurate for this to be a dream. He could perfectly hear the low hum of the desktop. There was a bitter, lingering taste in his mouth. He recognized it from the nights that he himself had spent staying up obscenely late, drinking nothing but coffee from the cheaper beans that Sojiro kept around. His lips felt dry, and his eyes stung to the point where tears were close to unconsciously falling. 

This certainly wasn’t LeBlanc, but if this wasn’t LeBlanc… then one thought perforated his mind.

_’Where am I’?_

He looked at the screen, making out the faint form of someone else in the reflection. His tired eyes couldn’t make out too many features against the reflection in the bright screen. But… it was a person. Someone else entirely, and another thought took full precedence over him. 

_’...Who am I?’_


	10. Half-Asleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren has another dream and encounters a demon. The Devil Summoners take the stage.

Ren was a young man who spent the most exciting year of his teenage life running around in a subway station made from the minds of the populous, and spent his Christmas Eve shooting an actual God in the face. He had spent time in a jail cell governed by a small girl with far too much power, and an old man with an abnormally long nose. He had summoned demons and gods from religions and cultures that still existed and that had been long abandoned. 

All of this to say that, at the moment, he was pretty confused. 

His first assumption was that he was dreaming, which made sense. The only issue was that he felt too… aware. Even lucid dreaming had flaws and moments of ‘looseness’, he felt too… ‘solid’ here. He could feel and touch. Probably experience pain. Sounds were too solid, and the only thing that seemed loose was the written word. 

“Uwaah…” Someone yawned. He reached the realization that it was him yawning, before further realizing that while he certainly felt his mouth opening, it definitely wasn’t his voice. It was too high. His voice was comfortably low and quiet, while this one was definitely a bit higher and mature. He tried to flex his fingers, but they remained clamped on the tapping pen. He tried to yawn again, and instead one hand absentmindedly brushed against straight black hair.

So, he was more so stuck observing, then? He was seeing the world through the eyes of this woman, rather than simply ‘taking her place’ in this scenario. All he could do was sit back and watch the script play out. It was an odd sensation, not being in control of one’s own body, but considering that he wasn’t exactly in his, he couldn’t really complain. It was an odd feeling, he could still control ‘himself’ in his mind's eye, but when it came to interacting with the physical world, he was basically stuck.

_’...Maybe this is the body of my soulmate, like that one movie…’_

“I wonder if ██████ has gone to bed yet. I decided to spend this week researching at home so we’d spend more time together, but…” The woman groaned, rubbing her face. “Gaaah… I’m being a bad mom. Maybe I can take her out to get sushi tomorrow? Somewhere expensive. Maybe ██████-san will let me play around with the research budget. It’s not like they pay attention to where that cash goes along as they get results in the end…” 

Scratch that idea. She has a daughter, which meant she was probably an adult with adult problems. Besides, why was he even thinking about romance and soulmates? 

What was more irritating was the fact that he couldn’t get a solid grasp on any of the names that were being mentioned. It was an odd sensation, where he would clearly hear the name being said, but it would slip from his mind before he had a chance to really process it. It seemed like a bit of a pain to deal with, but if he was able to perceive most things other than writing or names, he could either assume that those two things were absolutely useless, or they were too important and being intentionally blocked out. He assumed the latter, considering that there had to be some point to this. Still, that just meant that he needed to be proactive in regards to figuring out identities. Collect context clues, and maybe- even if the names were blocked from his mind, he’d be able to build a solid image of what person he was observing. 

“Well, if ██████ has gotten to bed already, then there’s no harm in testing this program out.” She grinned, pushing up the glasses on the bridge of her nose. “One small step for humanity, one giant leap for Cognitive Psience. A way to actually observe the state of the human mind and heart… tons of theories and research papers…” She paused, grimacing slightly. “Maybe I’m jumping the gun a bit.” She stared at her monitor, giving Ren a better look at it. A simple confirmation screen came up.

 _’...But what does the program do…?’_ He thought.

“I mean… jeez. It’s just supposed to be a glorified heart rate monitor at this point, channeling the brainwaves of the unconscious spirit. Still… any proof that there really is ‘a world made from the unconscious’ is good.”

Either he had really good timing, or she could hear his thoughts. _’Thanks?’_ There was no response. Maybe his timing was just really good.

So… this was an experiment to see if they could connect the real world to the Collective Unconscious, or- possibly even the Metaverse. Yaldabaoth had been able to design an app that served as a link and a portal, but all this application would be able to do was at least confirm the existence of such a place. Most likely reaching out and trying to grab sounds and noises from the ‘other world’, and then working from there. It was a long shot, even with modern technology. Something that even Dr. Maruki struggled to work on. 

“Bleh, enough speculating. I need some answers.” The woman idly typed a few lines of data into the console, before clicking enter. “And now, the exciting part happens!” A moment of silence passed. And then another. And another. And...

_’...’_

“...Um.”

_’...It’s not--’_

“It’s not DOING anything!”

The program screen was similar to a heart-rate monitor. And… it was flatlining. The two of them sat there for a few minutes- Ren moreso because he couldn’t move, and he assumed that the woman he was stuck with was just hanging around out of pure stubbornness. She stared at the screen, as if she thought glaring at it would cause it to finally function, before the screen turned off entirely. Ren could feel his mind tensing up, the same sort of vague pressure that filled his head when he entered the Metaverse, or was about to fight a Palace Ruler or Jail Monarch.

“...Huh?” She reached out toward the screen, before a flash of light struck her fingers, causing her to pull her hand back quickly. “Huh..?? Huh???” She repeated, her stubbornness quickly shifting toward terror. Ren had the feeling that the code for this program wasn’t supposed to do this. It caused a forced shut-down, but the computer was still ‘on’ to some extent. He wished he wasn’t stuck observing- summoning his Persona to try and counteract what was happening seemed to be the best idea. But… well, hopefully this would turn out well. 

...Hopefully.

The screen flickered back to life, before lines of code began to run across the screen. Code that… he definitely didn’t recognize, and judging by the amount of confusion that his ‘partner’ was feeling at the same time, he was very convinced that she had no idea what was going on either.

* * *

`  
RESET:  
SEI  
CLC  
XCE  
CLD`

`X16  
M8`

`LDX #1FFFH  
TXS`

`STZ NMITIME  
LDA #BLANKING  
STA INIDSP`

`'EL ELOHIM ELOHO ELOHIM SEBAOTH'  
'ELION EIECH ADIER EIECH ADONAI'  
'JAH SADAI TETRAGRAMMATON SADAI'  
'AGIOS O THEOS ISCHIROS ATHANATOS'  
'AGLA AMEN'  
`

* * *

The woman’s hand did the logical thing, which was immediately lunge toward the power button, hoping to turn it off. Another flash of light sprang from the console, this time not just lashing out her fingers, but burning the skin on the tips, causing her to recoil backward. She tripped over her chair, stumbling to the ground as her head smacked against the thinly carpeted floor. Her eyes flashed between the screen and the door to the office, a wave of detached desperation and fear running through Ren’s head.

_’...Shit, she has a daughter.’_

He had forgotten. He found himself trying to force her to run, his own actions and intentions having no impact at all. The pressure only grew, his head beginning to pound, and he was sure the woman’s head was practically splitting. The woman grit her teeth, picking up the office chair and holding it up, preparing to smash the computer to pieces, but the courage to follow through wasn’t there. Just that piercing, intense fear. She stepped back, the chair high above her head as the computer began to leak.

...Leak…?

A liquid that could only be described as a ‘mucus’ seemed to dribble and slip out of any of the machine’s orifices. It was a dark color, not red enough to be blood, not green enough to be bile, not as black as the viscous juices of Shadows, and a far cry from the calming blue of water. The color was inhuman, indescribable, as if human eyes weren’t meant to perceive it in the first place. It slid over the books and papers on the desk, although the things it passed over were free from being ruined, as if the physics of the two objects colliding didn’t render, and therefore didn’t exist. The viscous liquid seemed to coalesce on the floor, before slowly shifting and changing. The slime built itself into…

“A… camel…?”

That’s what it seemed like. Large, with shaggy brown fur, lanky legs and a dull expression. The only thing interesting about it was the elaborate, feathered headdress on its head. It didn’t seem to be paying anything any real attention, looking around dimly as the slime began to build itself on the hump on the camel’s back. The pressure seemed to increase even more, both Ren and the Researcher grimacing in agony.

“No… this is a monster.” The Researcher whispered, her grip on the chair weakening.

She was wrong. This was a Shadow. A demon. A creature born from the hearts of humanity, made up of malice. It continued to form itself, Ren making out the vague form of a woman, entirely nude for a moment before incredibly ornate silks and fabrics began to manifest and drape themselves over the demon’s form in a brilliant, billowing fashion. The demon’s skin was deeply tanned, her features more so resembling someone from the Middle East or Western Asia, rather than Eastern Asia where Japan was. Long dark hair seemed to tumble down the demon’s shoulders, tied in braids and ornate knots. Jewels that seemed to glitter with the brightness and vibrance of gemstones that belonged to even the most prestigious of museums adorned their person in the form of necklaces and rings, and in a small, golden tiara on their head. A second, more ornate crown was tied tightly around their waist. The demon was presenting themselves as practically the definition as ‘beautiful’. A stunning woman sitting on the back of a camel. Although that didn’t mean much to Ren. The ‘human forms’ demons took were just distractions. He was sure the real form was probably… well, ‘demonic’ in every sense of the word.

“...Hot.” The Researcher muttered, which- while Ren agreed- seemed incredibly out of place, but the demon definitely seemed to have some sort of passive ‘thrall’. There seemed to be a moment of silence, before the Researcher suddenly remembered that they were legitimately quite frightened, and thought their life was in danger, and frantically waved the chair at the demon. “Hey! Uh. Go away? No, who are you? Tell me who you are, and then go away!”

 _’Points for trying, I guess…’_ Ren thought, knowing that this absolute display of social ineptitude was familiar- he just couldn’t put his finger on how. The demon didn’t say a word, but smiled, and while Ren… frankly felt nothing, but the tension in the Researcher’s body seemed to melt away almost entirely, the feeling of panic and danger dropping to a concerningly low level.

 _’Maybe it’s because I’m not there…? Or maybe this demon just has a particular advantage against women…?’_ There were Shadows that had advantages against certain people or sexes. There was one ‘womanizer’ Shadow in Mementos that kept mind-controlling all the women in his group, so it didn’t seem impossible. 

The demon spoke. Their voice was low and gentle, toeing the line between masculine and feminine, although in Ren’s opinion it leaned more toward the former. **”So… you’re the human that summoned me. Very impressive.”** They looked back at the screen, chuckling airily. **”Ah- sorry about your mechanical construct. The damage won’t be permanent, I promise.”**

“Uh, it’s fine? But- you know- answer my question or I’ll hit you really freakin’ hard with this chair.” The Researcher replied. 

The demon raised an eyebrow, and Ren could finally focus on how terrifyingly beautiful the demon’s eyes were. From a glance, they seemed clear and blue, devoid of any malice or hatred- pure in every sense of the word. Luckily, considering he had been through the ringer with the Literal Demon Lord Lucifer, who had a similar set of eyes, seeing past that just to the sense of danger that they carried was easy- and frankly unsettling. Lucifer’s eyes were unique, one red and one blue, a subtle reminder to the fact that he was a demon. This demon didn’t seem keen on reminding others of their terrible heritage. 

No, that wasn’t it. The demon’s eyes were too clear. Everything was reflected in them, as if they could see far beyond a normal person. For a moment, it felt as if the demon was even staring at Ren- void of a body and nothing more than an accompanying set of thoughts, before the gaze focused back on the Researcher.

The demon took a breath, before hopping off the camel in an elegant fashion, the mount vanishing in a glittering wave of sand. The demon’s bare feet didn’t touch the ground, hovering just an inch above, as if they were above walking. **”I apologize. I am the lesser Duke, Gomory.”**

_’...Oh, so that name is a freebie.’_

The Researcher blinked. “...So… you’re demon royalty? I’ve definitely got to start getting a regular sleep schedule…”

Ren had to admit, she was taking this rather well. Though, that could have a lot to do with the demon’s thrall.

The demon chuckled again. **”This is real. That program you designed built a small, but substantial connection to the realm where Shadows and Demons roam. Many of my kin wouldn’t have noticed it, like a thin rip in white lace, but my eyes are a bit more advanced. So, all I did was take advantage of your ‘rip’, and make my way here.”**

Ren found himself unconsciously, immediately disliking this demon. Something about them was… grating to his ear, or rubbing him the wrong way. Either their casual boasting, or maybe it was just something about their voice..

“...So, Gomory-dono, do you… want something from me? Or is this just a quick visit, because I have work to do…” The Researcher mumbled, scratching her neck nervously.

Ren paused for a moment. _’...’Dono’…?’_ What massive nerd still used ‘-dono’ in the 21st century? 

Gomory folded their arms, eyes narrowing as a dangerous smile grew on their face.

**”Actually…”**

* * *

_Thunk._

Ren found himself out of bed, sprawled into an awkward position. The dream had ended abruptly, but… well, it was a start. He let out a stifled yawn, looking out the window. The sun was already fairly high in the sky, meaning that Morgana and the others let him sleep in. He stretched, looking around and cricking his neck. He had basically passed out in his Phantom gear, and his mask left an awkward impression on his face. He peeled off the mask, tossing it to the side, and pulling off his tailcoat. 

“Yeesh, I’m surprised I didn’t wake up with a fever…” Wearing all black, heavy clothes in the middle of Summer? Talk about a good constitution. He rubbed his eyes, one hand idly reaching for a pen that was haphazardly left on the floor, as he casually scrawled whatever details he could remember from the dream.

‘Weird program. Woman with daughter. Demon ‘Gomory’. Uses ‘-dono’ like a nerd but has a job (?). Cognitive Psience Researcher.’

...Sure, that was a start. He’d need a couple more details. His train of thought was muddled a bit by the conversation going on downstairs. He changed into more socially appropriate clothes before jogging down the steps barefoot.

“Morning.” He said, calmly. He looked around, firstly noting that the black-haired Futaba was finally awake. She looked at him, beaming. Which… was weird to begin with, since Futaba didn’t really ‘beam’. She ‘smirked’ or ‘grinned cheekily’. 

“Ren! You’re awake! Thank goodness!” She said.

“Geh--” He had a list of possibly a thousand things that Futaba would say to him. Most of them being obscure video game references, modern video game references, anime references, and sentai references. That being said, ‘thank goodness’ wasn’t exactly on his list of Futaba-isms. “...So, you’re feeling better. I’m glad.”

“Thank you. Oh, I made breakfast for you and Sakura-san. It’s nothing too complicated.

“...Huh?” He looked over Sojiro, 

“Don’t look at me.” He grunted. “She got up before I did, and by the time I was awake, she had already finished cooking.”

“Can… Futaba cook?”

He shrugged. “Wakaba spent a lot of late nights and early mornings at the Research Facility. I wouldn’t be surprised if she picked up a few things. And speak to your guests, too. They came here waiting for you, you know.” 

Guests? He looked over at the bar counter, staring at Sae and her friend. They had come by yesterday, if he remembered correctly. “...Yesterday.” It was hard to believe that only a day had passed, but he supposed it had just been busy. “Oh, Niijima-san and… Reiho-san, right?”

Morgana hopped from the counter onto Ren’s shoulder. “You should rethink that ‘Niijima-san’. She’d been acting weird since Yesterday, and I’d like to make a theory. I think…”

“That she’s not really Niijima-san?” Ren said with a yawn. “Figures. I usually feel a connection with all the people I spent time with during my first year in Tokyo, so when she came around yesterday and I felt… basically nothing, I just kinda guessed. Kind of a shame though, considering she awakened to a Persona two years ago, I’d rather see more of that then work with someone else.”

Sae closed one eye, idly taking a sip of coffee. “Sorry to disappoint, kid.” She huffed. Ren thought to himself that he probably should have realized how much gruffer and masculine her speech patterns were earlier. “...But, well, considering this situation, I don’t think you get to complain about your allies, Phantom Thief.”

He didn’t even bother to deny it this time. If these people were detectives, there was probably a good chance they had figured it out a while ago. “...So, considering that, who are you two? Let’s lay everything out on the table.”

Rei sighed, relieved. “Thank god, I thought you were going to make this difficult. Well, we might as well re-introduce ourselves since we have a common goal, right? Reaching the ‘end’ of that Tower, clearing out the monsters, and saving the city.”

Ren shrugged, still halfway waking up. “Fine. I’m Amamiya Ren. Resident Persona-boy. The rest of my team are incapscitated or busy. The cat is Morgana, he can talk--”

“We can understand him.” Not-Sae mumbled. “People in our profession don’t have trouble listening to demons. Or ‘Gouto-Douji’. Or whatever your ‘Morgana’ familiar is.”

Ren glanced at Morgana, sitting down in a booth. “Fine. And the girl with the black hair is… Futaba, I think. Jury is still out on that one. I’m guessing you met Sojiro, and Sophie…” He looked around for his phone, rooting around in his pocket.

_”I’m on the counter, Leader. I am Sophia, a good friend to the people.”_

“What she said.” Ren stretched, “Now your turn.”

Rei and ‘Sae’ glanced between each other, before shrugging calmly. Rei stood up, bowing politely. “My name is Reiho Rei. I’m a private investigator, and shrine maiden.” She gestured to Sae. “This is my partner, Kyouji. He’s a private investigator, and a spirit that doesn’t know when to stop clinging to life.”

Sae- ‘Kyouji’- rolled his eyes. Apparently, it seemed like this ‘Kyouji’ was a spirit that was currently possessing her body. Which… Ren wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about. “I’ve got work to do. I’ll die and pass on when my damn job is done, Rei.” He turned to face Ren, and a chill ran down his spine. Those were the eyes of someone who had cleaved through hundreds, if not thousands of bodies. Hopefully not human, but Ren couldn’t be sure. There was one thing he knew, though. This was someone who had spent their life killing, and wasn’t ashamed of it in the slightest. “Still, glad you’re workin’ with us, Phantom-kun.”

“...So… what brings two investigators to Tokyo…?” Ren asked, carefully. Obviously, they had to be more than just… detectives and shrine maidens. Especially if they were planning on taking on a demon-infested tower. Rei grinned, clapping her hands together.

“Weeeell, we do a bit more than just investigating.” She teased, brightly.

Kyouji flashed a dangerous grin. “Why are you pussy-footin’ around it? We are what we are. Devil Busters. Spectral Hunters. Members of the ancient Kuzunoha clan, masters of secret arts relating to communing and taming creatures beyond and above human comprehension and understanding.” He paused, before chuckling, folding his arms.

“But I guess you can just call us ‘Devil Summoners’, to keep things short.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The code text is based on the original 'Demon Summoning Program' text from Shin Megami Tensei. Nobody is... exactly sure what it stands for, considering that it's a mixture of SNES code and VERY obscure language, but it's implied to be a protective prayer. Maybe those messages asking the players 'not to get possessed by demons' in their sleep whenever you shut down a session of SMT 1 were more serious than we thought...
> 
> Part of me wanted to call Rei an 'onmyouji', but I wasn't sure if that line of magic lined up with whatever bullshit works with Devil Summoning, so I cut it out. Although it has been used as a catch all term for 'magician' lately.
> 
> But, this is basically the end of introducing all the major protagonists- it took a bit longer than I expected chapter-wise. I was hesitant on when to bring about Rei and Kyouji, considering that I had imagined them as... really powerful, compared to the Persona cast, just based off years of experience and the fact that Kyouji is... really powerful.


	11. Honey, I'm Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and the others discuss Lavinia. The remaining Thieves discuss the 'other Futaba'. Aigis calls. Ren gets a home visit.

“...Devil Summoners, huh?” Ren mused to himself. “...Sounds like a pretty big deal.” 

Kyouji’s brow furrowed. “...I was expectin’ a bigger reaction, kid. You know, the Kuzunoha are a pretty famous lineage of detectives, up there with the Shiroganes.”

Rei shrugged. “Well, the Kuzunoha Clan generally keeps the whole ‘devil summoner’ business to themselves, so if they weren’t interested in detectives to begin with, then I can see them not having much interest in us.”

“I wouldn’t say that’s it… but, still, I guess it’s good to work with you guys. Did you have a plan on how to handle this tower thing? I want to get it done as soon as possible, before anyone gets hurt.” Ren explained, folding his arms. A silence fell over the group, as Ren looked around, his eyes narrowing. “...What is it?”

“Three hundred people.” Morgana mumbled.

“...Huh?”

“Three hundred people have tried to take on Fut-- Lavinia’s tower, and have been killed.” Morgana repeated, his voice stern. “At least, if the metrics on the hacked Phansite are to be believed, and I don’t see why she would lie about that, when she’s been so transparent so far.”

Ren’s eyes widened, his pupils dilating. “...That… that has to be wrong, right? It’s barely been half a day, there’s no way that many people--!” He had made the assumption that nobody would take on a task, but… the main populous didn’t know how strong demons were. They didn’t have a metric of strength like Ren and the others did- of course people who were overconfident would take on such a vague task like ‘defeat the monster’ if they didn’t understand how powerful the monster was. “But-- but people are stopping now, right? After all, what reason is there to fight when three hundred people have already been killed?”

Kyouji grunted. “You have too much faith in humanity, kid. Most people are overconfident, even if they don’t realize it. Think about it like this- when you’re watchin’ a baseball game or something, and the athlete messes up what seems to be an obvious task, you might get a little irked since you clearly know what went wrong, and you might think that you wouldn’t make that same mistake in a real situation.”

“...And since this ‘Lavinia’ is presenting everything like some sort of television show… people’s caution may be even less active. Hell, what’s to say that everyone else believes that this is real?” Sojiro frowned, glancing at Ren. “It didn’t take much to convince the public that the whole debacle that you kids were involved in wasn’t as bad as it seemed. I’d posit that to the main populous, that ‘death count’ is nothing more than a gimmick. Tokyo is a dense city- I’d say that people won’t start taking it seriously until the ten-thousands.” The older man spoke, cynically.

“Sojiro…” Ren began, he knew that Sojiro could be a bit of a cynic, but that number… it seemed way too high, right?

Rei let out a somewhat bitter laugh. “It’s honestly pretty smart. That ‘Lavinia’ knew that she couldn’t hide her plans, so she made them so blatantly obvious to the public, but knew that they were so conceptually ridiculous that the public wouldn’t take it seriously.”

“That being said, her plans haven’t seemed to pose a real threat either. That… ‘Tower’ is ‘collecting knowledge’, but she hasn’t said for what outside of ‘sharing it with the world’.” Morgana mumbled.

 _”It is important to note that she also stated that the wider the range of her Tower, the farther out the ‘Shoggoth’s’ can act. The deaths related to them are still increasing, but they aren’t being marked on the official ‘death count’, possibly due to there being a distance in relationship between their actions and the will of Lavinia.”_ Sophia explained.

Ren folded his arms. “...And do you know how many people have been killed if we added in those Shoggoth deaths, Sophie?”

The phone was dead silent, the avatar on the screen looking away and lightly tugging on one of her pigtails.

“Sophia.” Ren said, sternly.

 _”...Four hundred and seven.”_ The A.I mumbled, sadly. _”If we include the deaths from before the Tower itself made its appearance.”_

“...Those ‘Shoggoths’ have killed a hundred people?!” Ren yelled. “But--”

“Yes, yes, it’s an obscene, ridiculous number of deaths. The police are investigating it, and will get nowhere, and like Boss-san said, Tokyo is a dense city. People won’t even consider the ‘dead’ until it starts to personally impact their lives, and thousands will have to die for enough people to notice that ‘impact’.” Kyouji said. “Listen, we can bitch and whine about the people dying as much as we want, or we can get started fighting those demons Lavinia has so nicely laid out for us.” He looked over at Rei, brushing silver hair away from his eyes. “Oi, that Lavinia girl said that the first demon was ‘Zagan’, right? So…”

“...The Ars Goetia?” Rei finished, arms tightly crossed against her chest. She bit her lip. “That’s a pretty large pool of potential demons, and none of them are pushovers. Still, out of 72, she said she has 13… I’ll see if I can scrounge some good information.” 

Kyouji nodded, before glancing over at Ren. “...Don’t look so dejected, kid. You’re one of those Persona-types, right? I’ve encountered a few myself, and while they’re certainly a weird bunch, I’d call ‘em reliable too.”

Morgana blinked. “Huh? You’ve worked with Persona-users before?”

He yawned a bit, stretching- and Ren was suddenly reminded that he was borrowing Sae’s body. “Hey, Boss-san, do you mind if I get another cup of coffee?” 

Sojiro shrugged. “As long as you can pay, I won’t turn down a customer.” He got up, walking behind the counter to where the black-haired Futaba was quietly standing. She quietly shifted out of the way as Sojiro prepared another cup.

“Morgana-chan asked you a question, Kyouji.” Rei chided, gently. Kyouji tilted his head a bit, before nodding.

“Ah, yeah. Sumaru City. I was possessing a detective at the time, and was training up a girl named Uchida. Made some scratch from spreading rumors.”

Morgana stood up straighter. “Sumaru-”

“-City?” Ren finished. “Did you know Amano-san?”

Kyouji smirked. “Hell, she was the one who kept pestering me to spread rumors the most. Real nice lady, that Amano. Real good with Demon Negotiation too. If she didn’t have her hands full with that ‘Persona’ stuff, she could’a been a helluva Devil Summoner.”

“It looks like we have some people in common then,” Morgana said, proudly. “Amano-san took it upon herself to teach the Phantom Thieves some things when she and her husband visited Tokyo.”

“Really?” Kyouji raised an eyebrow. “I’ll be expectin’ good things, then. And… Rei and I were plannin’ on hittin’ the tower tonight, challenging one of the demons. If any of you want to join us, feel free.” He got up, Rei following suit. “Don’t let us down, ‘Phantom Thieves’.”

“It was nice meeting you all!” Rei said. “I look forward to saving this city with you. I would bless you for your safety, but I feel as if forces far beyond my own strength are on your side.” She gave them a wink, before the two Devil Summoners exited the cafe. The only ones left were Ren, Morgana, Sophia, Sojiro and…

“Oh, right, Futaba. She’s been pretty quiet this whole time.” Ren said out loud, looking over at the dark-haired girl. She tilted her head slightly, before giggling somewhat sheepishly.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I don’t really remember what you all were talking about, Amamiya-san.”

“You don’t… _remember_?” Ren asked, skeptically. Morgana sighed, shaking his head.

“Right, we should take some time to talk about this Futaba. Or… maybe it’s better if I showed you.” The cat said, before turning to Futaba. “Hey, Futaba! Ren forgot to make me breakfast this morning, can you make something for me too?”

“Um, is Mona-chan okay? He’s yowling a lot…” Futaba mumbled. 

“...You can’t hear Morgana?” Ren asked. Futaba frowned.

“I can hear him fine, but he’s making a big racket.”

“She can’t understand me anymore.” Morgana said. “That, and… well, ask her something about the Phantom Thieves.”

Ren shrugged. “...Okay then. Um, Futaba, how’s your Persona? Even though the rest of the Thieves are out of commission, your help will be really useful.”

Futaba nervously scratched the back of her neck, chuckling. “I… don’t really know what you’re talking about. But if you need my help with something, I’ll try my best, Amamiya-san!”

He turned to Morgana. “...So, she can’t remember anything about the Phantom Thieves, the Metaverse, or Personas?” He asked, quietly. “...Then…”

“I’m not really sure what her situation is, but…”

Ren turned to Futaba, eyes narrowing. “Futaba.”

“E-eh? Yes, Amamiya-san? What’s with that serious look?”

“Do you remember what Akechi did?”

A silence fell over the room. Far from awkward, it was more tense, a heavy lull hanging in the air as Futaba’s pupils seemed to contract tightly for a moment, mauve eyes growing tense. The expression she made, even if it was only for a moment, would be burned into his memory, although it didn’t last long as her face quickly settled into something more natural.

“Ah… I don’t know who that is, sorry. Should I?” She answered, after that short moment. “Is he someone that worked with Mom? Sakura-san was asking me about her earlier.”

Ren’s gaze darted over to Sojiro. “Then--” Sojiro nodded, slowly, his glasses fogging slightly from the steam produced by the coffee. 

...So, that was the mental state of this ‘Futaba’. Someone who didn’t remember any of her experiences over the years with the Phantom Thieves, and someone that still believed that Isshiki Wakaba was still alive. Her memories were in shambles, and yet she still remembered Ren ‘enough’. He wondered how he seemed to her. Was he practically a stranger? She had seemed so happy that he woke up alright, so that couldn’t be the case. Was he just ‘someone important’, with no context as to how or why? He wondered if it was similar to the ‘Futaba’ he had met in Maruki’s false reality, someone blissfully living as if there had been no tragedy in their lives. He grit his teeth. If that was the case, then he would just have to wake her up.

“Futaba--”

“Don’t.” Morgana said, his tone tense. 

_”It is best not to mess with Futaba-san’s cognition at this moment. Not when we still know so little about her situation.”_

Sojiro nodded. “I’ll take care of her for the time being. Or… well, like I always have. I don’t really know if she’ll recognize her room or not, but it’s not like I’m not going to let her stay there anymore.”

Futaba blinked. “Oh? Am I staying over, Sakura-san? I see… Mom must be busy at the research facility then…” She turned to Sojiro, bowing slightly. “Please take care of me.”

“Heh… this is definitely weird, Futaba wasn’t this well-mannered when I took her in the first time around.” Sojiro said, with a dry laugh. “Don’t worry, Futaba, I’ll be sure to take good care of you. Maybe this time around we can eat at a dinner table instead of you locking yourself up in that room.”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get all excited because your ‘daughter’ is acting like a ‘normal girl’ this time around, Sakura-san.”

“Be quiet, idiot.” Sojiro grunted. “You know better than anyone I wouldn’t trade Futaba for anyone else. Still, just because this Futaba is ‘different’ doesn’t mean she’s not the same girl I’ve been taking care of for years.”

“I know, I know. I’m just kidding.” Ren said with a small smile. “If you’re having a normal dinner, are you finally going to officially invite me over?”

Sojiro shrugged with a wry smirk. “Just sneak in like you always do, Mr. ‘Phantom Thief’. I’ll keep a plate ready for you.” With that, he gestured to Futaba as the pair exited the cafe, Futaba turned back to look at Ren, giving him a wide smile.

“I’ll talk to you later, Amamiya-san. Bye!” She said, happily, before stopping. She turned to Ren, quickly jogging over.

“...Hm? What is it?”

Futaba nervously fidgeted with her hands. “U-um, actually, when you were resting, I kind of gathered that it may have been my fault you got hurt, so…” She shook her head. “You know what, nevermind! I’ll see you later!” She quickly said, leaving the cafe after Sojiro, leaving the three remaining Phantom Thieves to talk amongst themselves.

That was weird. “Maybe she just wanted to apologize…? Futaba isn’t usually one to mince words like that.” Something else was bugging him too.

...She had been calling him ‘Amamiya-san’ this entire time, hadn’t she? It seemed so odd. So… detached. Futaba had been calling him by his given name since the day they had started spending time together after her heart was changed. That was just the type of person she was- someone who didn’t care about normal social conventions and did whatever made her the most comfortable. So… to suddenly be called by his family name by her was incredibly off-putting. Even Lavinia had been comfortable enough to call him by his codename instead, so…

“You’re wondering just how much ‘Futaba’ is… well, in that ‘Futaba’. Am I right?” Morgana asked, deftly hopping on Ren’s shoulders. “...It’s written all over your face. I’m not entirely sure either. If we’re thinking about it in traditional terms, breaking down Futaba’s psyche into an ‘id’, ‘ego’, and ‘superego’... wait, you know about that, right?”

Ren drummed his fingers on the booth table. “The ‘id’ is all of our bad, unconscious desires. That’s basically what Shadows are, right? While the ‘ego’ is how we realistically are in terms of what’s socially acceptable, and the ‘superego’ is our unrestrained sense of justice and morality. Both the ‘id’ and the ‘superego’ need to be held back by the ‘ego’ to have a healthy mindset.”

Morgana nodded. “That’s the simplest way to put it, skimming a few details, although the ‘id’ isn’t necessarily bad- although we do categorize a lot of our unconscious desires that way. This is mostly theory though, remember that, but it fits in the best with how we understand Shadows and Personas.”

“So… is a Persona a manifestation of the ‘superego’?” Ren asked.

“Not necessarily. It’s merely accepting the ‘id’ and using those aggressive, darker desires for a more positive purpose. Think about it- your Persona takes the form of a vengeful, rebellious, sardonic thief- is that really your ideal manifestation of justice, or a darker manifestation of justice that you managed to turn into an ideal?”

“...Fair point.” Ren mumbled.

_”...It’s entirely possible that Lavinia is a representation of an unrestrained ‘id’, acting selfishly on her impulses, while the ‘Futaba’ we have is her remaining ‘ego’ and ‘superego’- her ties to humanity that Lavinia cut away. However, the human mind is much more complex, so this is just a theory.”_

“That would make sense. The black-haired Futaba is a manifestation of Futaba’s ‘ideal self’. A normal girl that follows along with society’s rules.” Morgana added. Ren thought it made enough sense. “Maybe she’ll have some idea about Lavinia’s intentions as well.”

“Well, we’ll have more time to find out as we go. Though, maybe I should message Aigis-san and the others. Backup will make everything go much quicker.” He flipped open his phone, opening the group chat that Maya had… insisted on making for all of the de-facto ‘heroes’ that had fought against Gaia. It was mainly just to keep in touch, and Maya probably posted the most out of all of them with whatever fun things she saw. He quickly typed a message, hitting send.

* * *

>   
> **Kaitou-Kun:** Tokyo’s fucked. Again. Help please.  
> 

* * *

A moment passed, before Maya immediately replied.

* * *

>   
> **Usagi-Sensei:** Language, Ren-kun!! But yes, it’s all over the news. ⊙︿⊙  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Sorry. So……  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** can’t help.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Why?  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** There is a barrier surrounding the entirety of Tokyo. Nothing can get in, nor can anything get out. We’re attempting to break it down at this very moment.   
> **Usagi-Sensei:** And there are monsters in our city too! So we’ve kind of got our hands full lol :(´◦ω◦｀): But I know Ren-kun can handle this! I believe in you!!  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** With all due respect, Amano-san, Ren-san should not be ‘handling this’.  
>  **Naorin:** It’s been 2 years since then, right? I’m sure he’s fine.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Thank you, Toudou-san. Besides, I’m fine.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** he’s a tough kid. i’m sure he’s in even better than fighting shape  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I’m calling you now, Ren-san.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** i tried.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** PLEASE don’t call me.  
>  **Naorin:** Please don’t call him.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I’m calling him.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Aaaaaa- sorry Ren-kun!!  
> 

* * *

He wondered how far he could realistically throw his phone before the call came through. It wasn’t like he didn’t get along with Aigis. Eventually they found their footing together. It was just that… Aigis could be a bit pushy, and a bit strict, and a bit--

* * *

_~Incoming Call: Aigis~_

* * *

“Geh--” He picked up his phone, clearing his throat. “Good morning, Aig--”

 _”Do not fight. You have a tendency to, as they say, ‘overdo it’- and to be perfectly frank, you almost died from ‘overdoing it’ on the Other Side once your body finally caught up with the sheer amount of energy you were expending.”_ Came a curt voice from the telephone. On the one hand, Aigis had a point. Considering the amount he pushed his body to fight Nyarlathotep the first time around on the top of the Kirijo Building, adding on the time he recklessly pushed his body as an unwitting pawn of the Crawling Chaos on the Other Side, stacking on the time he summoned about 12 incredibly powerful Personas in a row, and then the final battle against Gaia he… did a lot. 

“Okay, sure. The month after that wasn’t exactly… pretty.”

_”You were vomiting blood for more than a week, and had a hemorrhage. And--”_

Ren quickly shook the memories of the ‘month after’ out of his head, waving his free hand as if to clear the air. “To be perfectly fair, how was I supposed to know that overusing my Persona was a bad thing?”

_”There is a reason why using physical skills drains our stamina, and a reason magic causes mental exhaustion after overuse. If you don’t respect your Persona as an extension of your body, then you’ll only harm yourself further. You have to be more careful.”_

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and it’s been 2 years since then. I’ve basically fully recovered.”

_”I’d give you only one year if I’m being generous, since the Phantom Thieves decided to challenge Maddice on their own, and you refuse to ”_

“Because nothing big happened.”

_”A text from Sakamoto-san saying ‘help’ and you being bedridden for a week isn’t ‘nothing’. Your mind is the most important thing you have. If you abuse it and push your luck any further, you may end up losing your abilities wholesale, and even worse, lose your--”_

“So, what? Someone has to fight. I can’t just sit back and do nothing.” He honestly didn’t get the issue. He managed to summon Satanael earlier without any bad side-effects. Sure… he had an incredibly, unsettlingly realistic dream about summoning a demon afterwards, but he had a weird dream the night before he summoned Satanael too, so that had to be unrelated. Still, he knew Aigis was calling because she cared, but just because they were on the same page for the most part didn’t mean he was going to start following orders and waiting for other people to clean up messes that he could handle immediately.

_”...Listen, Niijima-san and Okumura-san are on their way. We’ll find a way past this barrier, and the Shadow Operatives will be able to handle this threat. There’s no reason for you to push yourself. Just…”_

He really didn’t want Makoto fussing over him, as much as he would want to see her again under normal circumstances. “Oh noooo… I’m losing connection on the caaaaaall.”

_”Ren-san, just wait for a moment and allow the Shadow Operatives to--”_

“Aaaaaaaah- my phone is on fire. Sorry, gotta hang up.”

_”Amamiya, don’t you dare--!”_

He hung up. 

“...She has a point, you know. It’s been a while, but you shouldn’t be pushing your luck.” Morgana gave him a concerned look. “Frankly, knowing you, you can probably handle these demons. Just remember that you can rely on us this time around. Besides, with Makoto out of the picture, you’re our tactician. It pains me to admit it, but your skill in commanding others has surpassed even my abilities. I’ve truly taught you well.” He let out a dramatic sigh, wiping at his eye with a paw. “Ah, I’m such a proud teacher--!”

“You didn’t teach me anything.” Ren said with a chuckle.

“Shut up! You’d still be wandering around Kamoshida’s sex dungeon without me!”

True enough. He patted Morgana on the head. “Right, right. Sorry. Thank you for all your hard work and instruction, Morgana-shishou. I’m truly indebted to you for your hard work.”

The cat grimaced. “I don’t like that either.”

“Pick one.”

“No!”

Sophia cleared her throat. _”Sorry to interrupt this moment, but there are three signatures approaching this space. Unknowns. Two of them are relatively powerful. Based on their movement, it seems as if they’re headed here.”_

Morgana and Ren glanced at each other, before shifting into action. It would be better for them to attack first and ambush, rather than end up ambushed in turn. Morgana pounced to the light switch, flicking it and plunging the cafe into near total darkness. The blinds were slammed shut, as Ren grabbed a kitchen knife from behind the counter. The Phantom Thieves waited in silence.

5 seconds.

30 seconds.

A minute.

Two.

Three.

The only sound being the ticking of the clock in the cafe. Ren silently swore to himself. If the Velvet Room was still around, he could probably use his ‘Third Eye’ to identify the threat in an instant. Unfortunately, most of his little ‘gifts’ from Igor and Lavenza were rendered moot. They heard footsteps, as Ren gripped the handle of the knife tighter, his body engulfed in shadow. The door to the cafe slowly swung open as Ren darted out, swinging the knife blade as it stopped a milimeter away from the intruders neck. He didn’t move further, as he heard the click of a gun as the cold barrel of a pistol pressed against his forehead just as quickly as he swung the knife.

The two figures stood at a standstill, as Ren’s eyes adjusted to the man standing in the doorway. Dark brown hair, long and unbrushed. Piercing red eyes, calm and composed with a madness that Ren could never understand. A proud, confident smirk even with a blade inches away from his throat.

“...You…” Ren said, his normally gentle voice a low growl.

“What was that thing you said, all those years ago?” Akechi’s vengeful smirk grew wider, speaking with a tone as cold as ice as the gunbarrel was pushed harder into Ren’s brow. “Ah. That’s right.”

“...’Honey, I’m home’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the mini-lecture about ids, egos, and superegos. But these are Important Details when it comes to the world of Persona, and a refresher course doesn't hurt.


	12. STANZA II - Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi and Ren make plans. Lavinia makes her next move.

In a world with 7 billion people, the idea of meeting someone ‘special’ is seen as a rare occurrence. Society frames it through the lens of romance- meeting the one who will be intertwined with your personal destiny for the rest of your foreseeable future. The one who will share your pain, your sorrows. Your happiness and your accomplishments. The idea that had been shoved into the gratuitous box called ‘love’. Love, society’s answer to that sickening feeling when you’ve found the one who defined your sense of being.

No, that wasn’t why Akechi’s heart was racing. ‘Love’ would be the ideal answer- seeing the man who he had wanted to see for years again after so, so long. It wasn’t the reason he found himself smiling despite himself, or the reason he could hear the blood pumping in his ears, or why his chest was rising and falling so heavily as he stared into the silver, pristine eyes of his foil.

There was no ‘love’. The answer was clear, clearer than the most pristine of waters.

The feeling of pushing a barrel against Amamiya’s idiotic, idealistic scalp. The blade of a knife inches away from his own throat. The tense air that served as the prelude to a battle. Visions of Amamiya Ren’s lifeless body sprawled on the floor of this run-down, low-brow cafe. 

This was hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred. Hatred that disguised itself as frivolous euphoria.

...No, this wasn’t frivolous. This was much, much deeper than this. Seeing Ren again inspired such a true, pure feeling of joy within Akechi’s heart that it practically skipped a beat.

Ren’s eyes were beautiful. A wondrous mixture of confusion, and yet acceptance. Filled with a roiling, bubbling sense of anticipation and loathing. Such open, true loathing, as if Akechi’s very existence was offensive to Ren’s very being. Maybe it was. The two of them, both ‘Wild Cards’ let loose in Tokyo, their destinies overlapped, and that put them at an impasse. Neither of them were supposed to exist at the same time, and if they did- then they simply had to rectify that mistake by killing each other. He cocked the hammer on the pistol, the sound of the click causing Ren’s hands to shift, the blade of the knife moving from a merely threatening position into something much more promising, as the blade gently pushed against the skin of Akechi’s neck.

Akechi didn’t say a word. He knew that without hesitation, he would fire. But could Ren reciprocate? Could the virtuous ‘Phantom Thief of Hearts’ slice his throat open first? Did Ren somehow gain that sort of bloodlust?

Of course he didn’t. 

The day Amamiya Ren truly became a killer through his own volition, was the day that the world itself had plunged itself into chaos. ‘Ahaha’, Akechi found himself chuckling, despite himself. Ren’s eyes narrowed. Eyes filled with hatred. Wonderful hatred. Akechi knew the feeling of being hated and cast aside- he had been hated by Shido. But… Shido’s hatred was detached and cold. Ren’s hatred was personal. So… overwhelmingly personal.

“Stop it, A-sketchy! You’re scaring Nana-chan!” A harsh, shrill voice broke Akechi from his temporary reprieve, as he looked backward at the blond-haired boy and the young girl that had accompanied him. Of course, while he didn’t care much about what Teddie thought of him, he’d rather not traumatize the Dojima girl. He let out a dismissive sigh, as he removed the gun from Ren’s forehead, and Ren shifted the knife away from Akechi’s neck.

“Sorry to disappoint, Joker.” Akechi said casually, giving the dark-haired man a flippant smile, holstering the weapon. Ren straightened himself, the blade still in his grip. His guard was still up. If anything, Amamiya had gotten smarter. Ren’s eyes merely narrowed as he turned on the lights to the cafe, before heading behind the counter. Akechi chuckled. Cautious, yet hospitable. Amamiya Ren truly hadn’t changed that much. Akechi’s eyes drifted over to the black cat that slunk out of the shadows, back hunched, the flickers of blue flames coming from his fur, as if he had decided not to let his Persona loose in the cafe. Excellent restraint.

“Morgana. I’m surprised you’re still around.”

The cat turned his nose up at Akechi. “I should be the one saying that. A dirty traitor like you shouldn’t be here. Especially a dirty traitor that’s supposed to be dead.” The cat mumbled something about being ‘at least grateful that this was the real one’, before hopping over to Ren.

“Why are you here, Akechi?” Ren asked, as the scent of fresh coffee began to fill the cafe.

“A parlay. I mentioned to the bear and the girl that you would be our best chance at an ally if we wanted to make more progress. The fight against King Zagan was irritatingly close.” Akechi replied, sitting at the booth. He glanced over at Teddie and Nanako, who were still standing in the doorway. “Come in, you two. This is a safe spot.”

Nanako bit her lip. “A-Akechi-san! You almost got stabbed!”

“Amamiya wouldn’t kill me.” He glanced over at the tall man carefully pouring a blend into a cup. “If there are a few things I know about Amamiya Ren, it’s that he’s too honest to kill, yet crafty enough to lie, and that he knows that I don’t like sugar in my coffee.”

“That’s a lie.” Ren said, calmly. “You don’t like sweets, but you take sugar in your coffee.” 

“Do I? When did I mention that?” Akechi raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Annoyingly enough, you came to LeBlanc too often when scoping me out.” Ren slid the cup in front of Akechi. “I have your usual order memorized at this point. I hope that’s okay, ex-Detective Prince?” Ren glanced over at the doorway, before looking around. “For your…” Ren paused, his lips indicating that he was a mere moment away from saying ‘friends’, but realized his mistake quickly. “...Acquaintances, we should have some coffee cake, and sweet bread. Juice for the kid as well.”

Akechi took a sip of the coffee, nodding thoughtfully. “...I see. I see.” He glanced back to the doorway, where Teddie and Nanako were still refusing to come in. “Bear. Nanako-kun. My patience is wearing thin, and Amamiya just said he can provide you both with something to eat.”

Teddie backed up. “Well, now I’m avoiding going in for an entirely different reason! What the heck is the vibe in here?! How do you two know each other?!”

There was a beat of silence, as Ren and Akechi exchanged glances. Ren shrugged, before tapping his nails on an empty glass. Of course, it would take a long time to boil down the intricacies of their relationship. It was a complex tale of betrayal and subterfuge, all amiss a roiling conspiracy--

“He took me out to a jazz club and tried to shoot me a couple weeks later.” Ren said plainly, his wording irking Akechi more than anything else he could have said in the moment. “...I’m getting the feeling we’re going to be talking for a while. How about we get everyone refreshed first?”

Ren took the time to adequately explain the situation. That ‘Lavinia’ was split apart from the original Sakura Futaba, and the remainder had manifested as a good-natured, dark-haired Sakura that had lost her memories regarding Personas and the Metaverse, and also seemed to be under the impression that Isshiki Wakaba was still well and alive. Furthermore, while Lavinia’s goals seemed to be unclear, the ‘Tower’ that had appeared in the Tokyo Bay seemed to have a network ‘spreading and collecting information’, and the further the network spread, the further the Shoggoths, the dark creatures that had appeared at night, field of influence seemed to spread. Furthermore, Tokyo itself was locked inside some sort of barrier that was unable to be breached from the outside. 

Additionally, Lavinia had set up several ‘win conditions’- being that they either defeated all twelve of her remaining demons, or if a normal human managed to defeat just one. Both of these conditions could be avoided if they chose to directly attack her at the ‘final’ area, but as the Tower seemed to reach infinitely upward, that didn’t seem… practical, if she was at the top. 

Akechi took the time to recount the battle against the Demon President Zagan. The battle itself was hard- especially with Akechi being the only one doing any real damage, but they had figured out the nature of Dojima Nanako’s Persona- an offensive support-type, similar to Takamaki Ann, Morgana, Amagi Yukiko, and Teddie. They hadn’t yet discovered the magical affinity attached to the Persona, but it seemed obvious enough to guess.

“It’s best to assume that Nanako-kun has a fire affinity, due to Sanbou-Koujin’s nature as a deity of the kitchen.” Akechi had reasoned, arms crossed. 

“Nuh-uh!” Teddie protested. “Having two Persona-users from Inaba sharing a fire-healing niche, that’s impossible! It’s poor design!”

Ren nodded, as if the inane statement the bear had made was anything other than ridiculous. “Team composition is important. I guess that rules out a light-healing niche too, since we have Sophia.”

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “So...phia?” That was a name he didn’t recognize. As if to respond to his question, the phone that Ren had on the counter flickered to life, the voice of a young girl ringing from it.

_”Hello, Akechi Goro. I am Sophia, a good friend to the people. Apologies for not recognizing your signature earlier. You are now registered as a Former Phantom Thief, and I’ll keep your unique resonance in mind to avoid future confusion.”_

“She replaced you.” Ren said, bluntly. “Well, ‘Wolf’ replaced you, but either way you got replaced.”

“Wolf actually ended up being trustworthy too…” Morgana muttered, ears twitching as he gave Akechi a side-eyed glare. 

The group also spent some time covering their bases- Amamiya and Teddie realizing that they had a common ally in a ‘Narukami Yu’, who Akechi also surmised to be Nanako’s ‘big bro’ according to the flow of the conversation. That was good, it saved plenty of time that would otherwise be wasted on misunderstandings. They talked for what seemed like a good few hours, the conversation drifting away from the darker subjects onto something more lighter as Teddie and Ren recounted their experiences in a more age-appropriate manner for Nanako. Akechi also appreciated how Ren didn’t take the chance to… well, to wholly tell the truth about him. He certainly didn’t skim over the fact that he had betrayed the Phantom Thieves, but left the extent of his crimes vague. 

...Eventually, the conversation turned back to Futaba.

“I would like to meet the black-haired Futaba.” Akechi said, calmly.

“That’s a bad idea.” Ren said, his voice equally calm. “We don’t know how skewed her cognition is. I’d want to spend some time with her first, before we start introducing someone like you.”

It made sense. But, if Lavinia was the ‘shadow’, and the black-haired Futaba was what was left… “We should give her a different name. If we’re referring to the enemy Futaba as Lavinia, and yet we’re still referring to both the whole Futaba and the fractured Futaba as ‘Futaba’, then there will be clear confusion.”

Morgana nodded. “I understand. Considering that this Futaba thinks that she’s still living with her mother, then she’d be ‘Isshiki Futaba’ instead of ‘Sakura Futaba’, right?”

“Ooh, ooh!” Teddie raised his hand. “Let’s call her ‘Isshi-chan’, then!”

Ren rubbed his chin, before reaching around the counter and grabbing a small notepad used for taking orders, and a pen. “What kanji does Isshiki-san’s name use again?” He tapped the pen against the notepad, before Akechi idly took it from him. He had seen Isshiki’s name written down several times- mainly in the context of preparing to murder her. 

“It uses the kanji ‘Ichi’ and ‘Iro’,” Akechi explained, writing it down. “So, how about ‘Ichi-chan’ then, if this version of Futaba is a manifestation of her ideal time before indirectly encountering me, and meeting the Phantom Thieves? I’d say it’s fitting enough. The ‘One’ that got away, even.” He slid the notepad back over to Ren. “How does that sound to you? I would have suggested ‘Iro-chan’ but...”

Nanako frowned, shaking her head. “Akechi-san… that’d be pretty inappropriate…”

Teddie snickered. “I agree. ‘Iro-chan’ and ‘Ero-chan’ are a bit too close for comfort, and I’d hate to give a friend of a friend such an inappropriate nickname!”

 _”I can make a note of this, Leader.”_ Sophia piped up. _”Noting that the ‘Sakura Futaba’ that manifested by the mysterious Tower and is controlling the demons has given themselves the moniker ‘Lavinia’, and the ‘Sakura Futaba’ that was supposedly ‘ejected’ from Lavinia will be referred to as ‘Ichi-chan’, or for the sake of formalities ‘Isshiki-chan’. In accordance with this, ‘Isshiki Wakaba’ will be continued to be called ‘Isshiki-san’.”_

"It's kind of..." Ren sighed, his brow furrowing. Akechi raised an eyebrow.

"Kind of what?"

"...Well, it's a bit lame, isn't it?"

Akechi wasn't sure how to respond to that. It had been... a relatively long time since he had heard Amamiya's candid remarks before. "Well--"

“Lame or not, it's convenient. So, it works for me.” Morgana said, before looking over at Ren. “It did seem like she wanted to talk to you later. After we hit the tower with Kyouji and Reiho-san, you should spend some time with her. Maybe it’ll help you get a better handle on the situation.”

Ren nodded. “Right… right. What time is it? If I can, I want to get a workout in, and also hit the bathhouse. Considering we’ve been going nonstop since this morning, I want to get some time to relax and hone my body.”

_”It’s 5:30, and the next scheduled demon is set to appear at midnight, alongside the next broadcasted ‘match’- although people can challenge the Tower at any time. Although they’d just end up fighting and getting killed by Shoggoths instead.”_

“Good. I’ll have to head out and see if that fitness place is still open. Businesses might be closing down because of the whole Shoggoth thing. Although the bathhouses may still be open.”

Akechi smiled pleasantly. “Good. I’ll come with you then. And then we’ll meet up with your allies back at the Tower, correct?”

“I-I’ll come too!” Morgana hissed. “There’s no way I’m leaving Ren alone with a snake like you.”

Teddie and Nanako exchanged very concerned glances, before the bear scratched his head. 

“...Seriously… what is the vibe in here…?”

* * *

Cold.

The hands on her back were cold.

Not cold as if they had been in the snow. Cold as in lifeless. Devoid of flowing blood and body heat. Cold like a corpse. Lavinia wondered how she knew what a corpse felt like, and briefly searched through the memories residing within her, as one would flip through a reference book.

A scene. A memory that was irritatingly clear. A young girl holding the cold, lifeless hand of a mutilated woman in the middle of a road, smears of blood with the pattern of tire tracks painting the street. 

The scene was cut by a voice. Suave and androgenous, low and comforting. The voice belonging to the hands that kneaded into her back.

**_”O Thou that dwelleth in the darkness of the Outer Void, come forth unto the Earth once more- I entreat thee...”_ **

A flare of pain. Sharp and unrelenting, as if the tip of a knife was being dragged across her shoulders. A warmth spread down her back. She felt words- letters in a script far from human- etching themselves into the flesh along her shoulder blades. The spoke words emblazing within her body. She didn’t yell or scream. This pain was part of the summoning procedure. To yell would break her concentration- to cry would redefine her as human. Lavinia was not human, despite what her body told her. Despite the blood flowing through her veins. Or her steady heartbeat. She was merely a catalyst. The physical manifestation of the ‘Kitab Al-Azif’. 

The Book of the Dead. A script that detailed the summonings and nature of creatures far beyond the realm of humanity. Beings that shouldn’t exist. Being that- if they truly manifested in the world, the world itself would creak and strain to sustain them. Conform and change. The world- the universe- would bend to the will of the beings written in this scripture. 

**_”Are you well, Lady Lavinia?”_** The voice asked. The question itself was disingenuous, but polite nonetheless. **_”We’ll stop for now. The amount of power it takes for just one line is already substantial enough. And we shouldn’t rush.”_**

“...It is midnight.” Lavinia replied, sitting up. Her legs felt wet, before realizing that she was sitting in a shallow puddle of her own blood. The warmth she felt earlier- her own blood emerging from the wounds that had been inflicted on her. The room she was in was dark, the only light coming from the screens that surveyed a 360 degree view of the Tower. 

**_”They’re here.”_** The voice said, before letting out an exaggerated sigh. **_”I knew they would, but that doesn’t prevent it from being annoying. Right, Lady Lavinia?”_**

“They’re challenging our ‘Tower of Babel’ due to their ideals. I gave them a challenge and they responded. If I were to be annoyed, it would be contradictory to the fact that I had essentially invited them in the first place.” She reasoned. “I will go greet them.” She got up from the small, circular platform that she had been laying on.

The cold hands belonging to the calm voice snapped their fingers. **_”Wait, wait. Lady Lavinia. You are planning on using ‘them’ first, right? That seems like an awfully cruel thing to do.”_**

“To avoid using ‘them’ would be a waste. It will also cause the most internal conflict, and serve as an immediate, difficult battle. Summoning a Global Demon like Zagan wholesale was a mistake. His size was much too large, and it cost too much energy. Using these vessels is the most efficient choice.” Lavinia reasoned again, as the voice let out a playful sigh.

**_”Okaaay. Well, you know what you’re doing. Good luck out there.”_ **

She didn’t respond, as she stepped out of the dark room, feeling her body transferring to the ‘first floor’ of the Tower. Several forms stepped in through the main entrance. The ones she didn’t know were Kyouji and Reiho Rei of the Kuzunoha clan, Dojima Nanako from Inaba, and ‘Teddie’. However, the Tower supplied her with enough information to handle them. The others were Akechi Goro, Morgana, Sophia, and…

“Amamiya Ren.” She said, out loud as the fighters approached her in the center of the circular chamber. Looking at him caused her hands to tense, unwittingly. Her heartbeat seems irregular for a moment. She would have to analyze that later. Her mind seemed to register him as someone ‘out of place’, as if she didn’t think he belonged here.

That was a ridiculous thought. All roads led to him fighting here. There was no reason for her to be surprised by his arrival.

And yet...

Ren’s eyes narrowed. “Lavinia. Listen, I really don’t want to fight you. Can we-”

That was like him. Amamiya Ren was a kind person at heart, and incredibly loyal to his teammates. The idea of fighting one would certainly be painful to him. She raised a hand, gesturing for him to stop. “I am not Sakura Futaba. I am Lavinia. We are not allies. I thought I had made this clear.”

“But--”

Morgana glared at her. “Don’t bother, Ren. If she’s set in that belief, then it’s not something we can just talk her out of believing. Besides, we have the remainder of Futaba in ‘Ichi-chan’.”

“Ichi… chan…” Ah. From ‘Isshiki’. It was almost clever. Important emphasis on the 'almost'. “So, you’re under the impression that I am a fake, and that Futaba is ‘real’. I am a byproduct. That is an optimistic belief, and yet is entirely inaccurate. If the division between me and her were that simple, then--”

“Raaagh!” Teddie yelled. “I don’t get what you’re saying! Let’s just fight!”

...Lavinia noted that the bear was impatient and simple-minded. Her eyes drifted to the side, as Kyouji Kuzunoha swung his blade toward her throat. The Kyouji branch of the clan was a clan of killers. Paid assassins. They slaughtered demons and those who associated with them without any sort of mercy. So, it made sense that he would be entirely willing to decapitate her.

Unfortunately, she knew his actions, and that meant she could plan accordingly. The blade was stopped in midair by a ‘mysterious force’.

“My Persona.” She clarified. “As I am the ‘Kitab Al-Azif’, my Persona has changed to something different. I am able to manifest ‘Al-Azif’ as I please, as I hold Sakura Futaba’s mind, but due to the change in my own soul's nature, my true Persona changed as well.” 

The invisible Persona hit Kyouji, sending him spiraling. Impressively enough, Kyouji managed to recover in midair, and land without a problem.

...Lavinia noted to hit him much, much harder next time.

Akechi sighed. “Enough playing around. Where are the demons we’re meant to fight?”

She folded her arms behind her back. “First, choose three people to fight. Then I will summon my demons.”

Morgana stepped forward. “Ren and I are going to fight.” He said, calmly. Reiho stepped forward as well.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll come with. Someone needs to appropriately exorcise these demons.” She turned back to Kyouji, smiling playfully. “Sorry, Detective-san. Looks like you’ll be sitting out this time around.”

Kyouji scoffed, stepping back. “Fine. Just don’t embarrass me.”

Lavinia took several large paces back and snapped her fingers, as everyone but the three selected were surrounded by a black box, before vanishing from sight. Ren’s eyes widened, as he snapped his head toward her.

“You--!”

“They’re alive. Simply outside of the Tower. I do not want them interrupting the fight.” She said, before clasping her hands together. She began the summoning incantation, as two bodies appeared to her side. The bodies of Sakamoto Ryuji and Yoshizawa Sumire, still in their Phantom Gear. Their eyes were dull and lifeless, as if they were simply empty husks, or dolls shaped in the visage of the two Phantom Thieves. Ren looked upset. Lavinia reasoned that it was because he hated to see his friends in such a state. _”...’Ezphares, Olyaram, Irion-esytion’… I call forth of you, Great Prince of Love and keeper of secrets- and to you, Great King of Ravens and lord of hidden treasures…”_

The empty eyes of Ryuji and Sumire seemed to flicker to life, their eyes slowly burning with an ominous light. _“...’Eryona, Orea’… beautiful prince Sytry, ravage these lands once again with your immense strength--!”_

Ryuji’s eyes flared, as he let out an ear splitting roar, throwing his head back. While Lavinia remembered Ryuji as muscular, it seemed as if the leather jacket on his back was straining from the muscles underneath, the seams beginning to tear and rip. Sparks of electricity and flame seemed to burst and pop from his body. A truly powerful demon, a perfect fit for someone as powerful as Sakamoto Ryuji.

“Aahh... haah… it feels real good fuckin’ to have a body again…” The demon growled, before turning back to Lavinia. His eyes were filled with a primal, depraved gaze. Lust, most likely. She didn’t like it. “Lady Summoner… you have my thanks… an’ I can give you much more than my thanks once I finish this…”

She felt the corners of her mouth turn downward slightly. Her emotions were gone, but she supposed that ‘displeasure’ would be what she would have been experiencing in this moment. She also found herself immediately mentally apologizing to Sakamoto Ryuji. Ryuji was stupid and vulgar, yes, but at his core he was a good-natured and well-intentioned person. This demon, however, was nothing more than a depraved beast. Deciding not to think about this matter any further, she continued the summoning incantation. 

_”Accursed King Purson, answer my call! With the fanfare of the heavens and the underworld, begin the second chapter! ‘Orasym, Mozim’!”_

Sumire’s eyes widened, blazing with power as she raised one ruffled sleeve, staring up wistfully into the sky. “I see… I see… so, I have been summoned in the form of a Maiden…” Red eyes glittered from her dark black mask, as the second demon turned to face Lavinia, bowing deeply. “Lady Summoner, you have my greatest thanks for incarnating me. Your enemies shall be naught but ribbons. Your allies shall become richer than kings. That is my declaration to you.”

 _‘Ah,’_ Lavinia thought, _‘This demon would be a better fit for Inari’_.

She cleared her throat. “Good. I have summoned you in this manner so that you may make the most of your demonic strength, and the strength of these Persona-users. You have my full permission to ‘go all out’. Turn them to ribbons if you wish.” 

“Futab-- Lavinia!” Ren screamed, his voice filled with rage. “You’re seriously okay with this?! These are your friends- our friends! And you’re just letting them be puppetted by demons?!”

She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she snapped her fingers again, the environment beginning to shift as she turned and walked away. Sakura Futaba would be enraged by the concept of allowing her close friends to be possessed and used as vessels for demons. Most humans would be opposed to any sort of demonic possession. But there was the contradiction. The one fact that Ren did not understand.

She wasn’t human.

_But what was this tightness in her chest…?_

“At least tell me why! Tell me why you’re doing this!” She heard him yell. 

_Why…?_

She was nothing more than a tool for the future. She had made her ‘why’ clear. She was doing this for peace. To save the world. Or... perhaps that was too vague. Why. 

...She didn't understand his question.

_And yet…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: A real fight scene since I skipped out on the last one!


	13. Battlegrounds and Bathhouses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren, Morgana, and Reiho fight the possessed Ryuji and Sumire. Ren gets a heaping helping of knowledge. Akechi, Ren, and Teddie soak together in a bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I MAKE THE SCHEDULE, AND I DECIDE FOR A HEFTY WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE AND A LIGHTER WEEKEND UPDATE THIS WEEK.

Strong. 

Ryuji- no, Ryuji’s body was already incredibly strong. Adding on demonic strength to that and…

Well, Ren finally understood why he was so bothersome to deal with back on the Other Side. The Demon Prince Sytry held out a hand, a club made out of pure, crackling electricity forming before it was swung right into Ren’s chest. He coughed, before realizing that he was flying several meters backwards, slamming into a tree-like object and sliding down, coughing painfully.

While the chamber they had entered had been smooth and devoid of details, almost made out of what could be assumed to be a white, marble-like structure- it had changed once Lavinia had left. The scenery had become a sort of artificial jungle, whereas instead of natural foliage, it was made out of many artificial substances and metals that merely replicated the look of a natural forest. He blinked, his eyes widening as he leaped to the side as Sytry closed the gap between them in two, incredibly fast bounds and swung the energy club again, snapping the tree-like object in half and watching as it collapsed and melted from the heat of the weapon.

“Just die already, bastard!” Sytry snarled, animalistic eyes snapping toward Ren. “Tch, putting me up against a man and a cat- I wanted to feel up some pretty ladies as I brought them to their knees.” He swung the club again and again, Ren narrowly dodging out of the way. If this demon wasn’t using Ryuji’s body, he’d be in trouble- the only reason his dodges were even remotely working was because the demon was unintentionally mirroring his friend's general fighting pattern- just at an accelerated rate. “Stop movin’ and fight back, dammit!” The demon roared, slamming the club into the ground. The ground beneath Ren’s feet began to heat up, before he narrowly avoided a large pillar of electricity that billowed from the ground. 

Ren rolled to the side, continuing to duck and dodge the incoming attacks. He summoned Arsene, pointing his fingers in the shape of a gun toward Sytry, firing off several weak blasts of cursed energy. Sytry continued to approach, his mouth twisting into a manic smile as the cursed energy did nothing to slow him down. 

“Aah.. haah… I missed this- the battlefield- Lord Lucifer hasn’t let me fight in so long, I can feel the tension leaving in my body already!” The demon roared, before sprinting toward Ren. He punched Ren in the gut, the pain shooting throughout his body. The demon’s fist twisted in Ren’s chest, electricity firing off into Ren’s flesh as he screamed in pain.

“Oi, oi. Are you really the human who managed to subjugate the Fiends? Oi, oi, you’re not fuckin’ with me, right?” The fist was yanked out of Ren’s chest, before he was backhanded across the ‘arena’. He hit the wall of the far end, coughing. He looked up, Sytry already covering the massive distance in a few quick bounds. 

“You better not be holdin’ back, asshole!” The demon screamed, as Ren crawled out of the way, the crackling club slamming into the ground next to him. The ground dented and warped from the strike, almost melting underneath the heat. 

Ren hated to admit it, but he was. As much as this was a demon, this was a demon using Ryuji’s body. He didn’t want to hurt his friend more than needed. He stood up shakily, before feeling a wave of healing energy wash over him. He looked behind him, seeing Rei calmly watching from a distance.

“I’ll play support, Joker-kun. Just make sure not to lose!” She said. “I’ll need you and Morgana to hold them back so I can prepare the exorcism spell, got it? But go all out! I can heal any broken bones!”

Ren nodded. “If Ryuji’s going to be fine after this…” He drew his dagger, the blade flashing with cursed flames. “...then maybe I can push myself a little bit.” Fighting a real demon was a bit different than fighting a Shadow. They were more intelligent. But… “If I can fight Matador, then I can fight you!”

“Tch, Matador ain’t nothin’ compared to me.” Sytry snarled, swinging the club at Ren, as he swung his knife at the same time. The blades clashed, flames and electricity flying out wildly. Sytry’s eyes widened as he felt himself getting pushed back. 

“Eiga!” Ren yelled, the dagger bursting with energy before cleaving through the club. 

“What?!” Sytry’s fist swung toward Ren’s head, before a barrier appeared in front of it. The fist collided with the barrier, the force being recoiled backward, causing the demon’s fingers to break with a sickening crunch.

“Tch- that bitch! No fair, having support! No fair! No fair! No fair!” The demon yowled, snapping the fingers back in place, summoning another club and swinging again. More barriers appeared around Ren, before they started to crack under the constant pressure of the attacks. Ren found himself turtling up, the barriers growing weaker after each strike, the reflected damage doing nothing to stop the raging demon. He looked to the side, watching as Morgana tried his best to dodge out of Sumire- no, Purson’s attacks. The red-haired demon managed to strike the cat, sending him flying away. 

“Morgana!” Ren yelled.

“Focus on ME, bastard!” The demon yelled, striking one more time. The barrier smashed, leaving Ren open. He desperately swung his knife again, slashing through the club once more. “Why’re you fighting like such a wuss! I know you can pull out stronger stuff!” A heavy boot slammed into Ren’s stomach, kicking him away. “Fine! I guess I’ll have to pull out all the strength that this body can muster! If you’re not willing to give me your all, then I want you to die here!”

Sytry’s hands quivered, his eyes burning like hot embers. His shoulders shook as sparks began to shoot from his body, and dark storm clouds began to manifest in the air. Sharp teeth gnashed, his dark hair standing on end as the leather jacket that was part of normal attire caught flame and burned off his body. Unfamiliar markings littered his skin, words in a language that Ren couldn’t comprehend were tattooed all across his body. “Aah… haaah… ahaahahaa… ahahahahaahah! **AHAHAHAHAHA!** ” A laugh, hoarse and maniacal- almost entirely unrecognizable as human as Sytry through his head back.

A form shimmered behind the demon. 

A pirate ship emerged from the dark clouds. Broken and decrepit, the sounds of painful wails emanating from the cracks in the ship. A dark figure stood atop it. Skeletal and menacing, wearing a heavy dark coat adorned with blades and bones. Its head was a rotting skull. One eye was cleaved out, while the other burned with an intense, fiery, indiscriminate hatred. Heavy chains were tied around its bony neck. A dark black cape was draped behind it, as it reached out a clawed hand toward Ren, outstretched, before a massive cutlass appeared within its grasp. 

“No… Captain Kidd…?” Ren muttered. No… it was distorted, mangled. Almost like a warped mirror of Ryuji’s Persona. 

“Let’s go, Captain!” The demon screeched. **”AGNEYASTRA-!!”**

It swung the massive cutlass, the air itself seeming to split as several large waves of pure power shot toward Ren. The ground itself trembled under the force of the attack. Under normal circumstances, he would feel confident about taking the hit and continuing, or summoning a Persona that could easily cast Tetrakarn, but he felt like even that wouldn’t be able to save him.

“Riot Gun should do it…” Arsene flared up behind him, the devilish Persona throwing his arms forward as a blast of equal force was fired off. He felt a surge of pain shoot through Arsene’s arms as the blast was fired off. He winced, a sharp pain shooting through his head as the Riot Gun collided with Sytry’s attack. It blasted apart one of the waves, the other ones progressing forward without stopping. “--That powerful, huh… Ryuji would be psyched about that…” He braced himself, before another form shot in front of him.

Lithe and blue, with bright red eyes. It wore a heavy hood adorned by golden accessories, and held a long, ornate caduceus in one hand. Golden shoes adorned its feet, massive wings of glittering, sky-blue coloration sprouting from the heel. The form kicked a slender leg toward the wave of energy, a massive gust of wind shooting forward and cutting off both attacks at once, the threatening waves of pure energy dispersing into the air. A black cat landed in front of Ren, a notably smug expression on its face.

“Nya-ha-ha! Even with Mercurius, I’m still stronger than Skull. Wasn’t that great, Joker?” Morgana said, proudly.

“Thanks for the save, Mona.” Ren replied. “But… weren’t you fighting Violet?”

“Right- about that… I’m leaving you to her.”

“...Huh?”

“It’s a better matchup. Besides, I think she was getting… bored fighting me? She kept looking over at you the entire time.”

“...Bored…?”

Morgana tilted his head to the side, looking over at Purson staring at them from a few meters away in the artificial foliage, arms folded idly. She and Joker locked eyes, as the demon gestured for him to come closer with one finger and a bright, excited smile.

“...I’ll go fight Purson then.” Ren said, dumbly.

“Do that.” Morgana replied, before darting toward Sytry. 

He walked toward the demon possessing Sumire, who didn’t seem to make a move. He drew his dagger, the demon only responding by holding up one hand, instructing Ren to stop.

“Halt, before we begin our clash, I wish to speak with you.” The demon smiled. Despite having Sumire’s face, all of the small subtleties and graces that made her ‘Sumire’ seemed to be absent. The smile was wide and lopsided, as opposed to small and gentle, Sumire’s thin lips cracking slightly. Her hair, that was usually either tied into a neat, ponytail or kept long and neatly brushed, was simply long and disheveled as it hung down her shoulders. The eyes behind her black mask, which were usually a dark carmine color, were an abnormal shade of blue. Clear and bright, as if they saw and reflected everything. The eyes seemed familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before...

“I’d rather just fight you and get Sumire back.” Ren admitted. Purson laughed- that was also different from Sumire’s laugh- it was loud and haughty, partially like a roar and trailed off like the hiss of a snake.

“A pointless endeavor. But, I will allow you to try, just so you can see how pointless it is. Then we will discuss, yes?” 

Ren clenched his knife, darting forward. He swung it at her, aiming carefully for non-lethal spots as the blade burned with cursed energy. He swung it myriad of times, the demon simply dodging and stepping out of the way as if it were no big deal. He summoned Arsene, firing off a number of cursed shots. The demon's movements were still careful and calculated, stepping around each and every one as if Ren had pointed a massive glowing target on where he was aiming seconds beforehand. 

He grit his teeth as another sharp pain shot through his head. He could have sworn he heard a creak, as he looked back at Arsene. The Persona was standing as proudly as ever, but even he could see small fissures appearing in the Persona’s body. 

...No, he couldn’t be ‘overdoing it’ like Aigis said, right? He was just fighting like normal. Even more carefully than normal! He looked over at Purson, who was smiling at him playfully.

“Are you done?” The demon asked.

“Maeigaon!” Ren yelled, a massive wave of cursed energy exploding in a full circle around him. This time for sure he heard something crack, as the fissures in Arsene burst harder. The damage mirrored on Ren, the cracks on Arsene manifesting on his body was intense blue flames that were clinging to his flesh. He let out a panicked yell as he tried to pat them out, the flames slowly dying down, but the damage was done. He dropped to one knee, panting heavily.

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt so, so badly. His head was screaming at him. Was it scolding him? No… no, he had been careful- it wasn’t like what Aigis said- he was being careful--!

But still… despite his pain… that had to be undodgeable. There was nowhere to dodge. Even if it didn’t do considerable damage, it would be a reliable way to fight--

“...Are you ready to talk now, ‘Sen-pai’?” A sickeningly sweet voice whispered in his ear as he felt a careful weight on his shoulders. A chill ran down his spine, his muscles tensing up. He looked to the side, before glancing up, realizing that the demon was in a near-handstand position on Ren, using his shoulders as support, and lowing their face directly to Ren’s ear. Sumire’s hair tickled against the back of his neck as he felt his breathing quicken. How… how was this demon able to pull off a ridiculous maneuver such as that- especially without Ren noticing. He didn’t understand, it would be impossible unless they saw it coming- no, that would still be impossible then- that demon would have had to have known Ren was planning on using a wide range technique-

“-The entire time…? Ahaha, now you’re getting it. Wonderful, simply wonderful-!” Purson leaped from Ren’s shoulders, before a rapier made of pure light was swung towards Ren’s neck. 

“Ah… using holy magic like this… it causes me to reminisce a bit…” The demon said wistfully. “Ahaha, this isn’t about me though, is it? This is about you.”

“...Me…?”

“Do you know who we are?” Purson asked, getting closer. Ren opened his mouth to reply, as the demon rested a thin finger on his lips, shushing him. “No, no. Only speak when needed. Any ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions I ask will be purely rhetorical, and I wish to be as convenient as possible. Still, to answer that question-” Purson removed the finger from Ren’s lips, giggling.

“We are the Globes. The Arbiters for the Outer God of Knowledge. The thirteen of Us were demons that abandoned Lord Lucifer’s rule, and chose to follow a different path.”

“Wh--”

“Why am I telling you this?” Purson interjected. The demon paused, before laughing sheepishly. Different from the wide, lopsided smile before. It was softer, almost divine in a way. “Ehehe… well, I suppose I’ve always had a soft spot for humans. And, well, you remind me so much of my former lord, I have the innate desire for you to succeed.”

...Former lord? Did that mean Lucifer? He wasn’t sure to take that as a compliment or an insult. 

“Well- it only makes sense.” Purson idly remarked, “Your personality is incredibly similar to his, your charisma, your strength, your will for rebellion. In fact, that ‘Persona’ of yours is enough for me to say that you’re almost one and the same.”

“My… Persona…?”

Purson smiled widely, the demon’s eyes skirting an incredibly thin line between intensely affectionate and incredibly dangerous.. “If I can be candid- this body of mine already feels an intense love toward you, and upon my possession, that love has amplified. Ah, yes. That is why I’m helping you, because I love you, Lord Satanael.”

...Well, this demon was certainly blunt with their affections. To think of it, Sumire had been awfully straightforward with her feelings as well. But still… he knew demons didn’t exactly understand the nuance of ‘Personas’ versus ‘actual demons’, but this demon seemed smart enough to understand the distinction- so making some bold, insane claim that he was ‘Satanael’ seemed… ridiculous.

“Do not mistake me, I know you’re not my former lord. I’m just saying that if you wished, you could take his place without much issue.” The demon’s gaze softened, most of the danger fading. “No, you’d be an even better lord, with those flames…” Shining eyes looked at the remains of the flames that still burned on Ren’s body. 

Ren slowly stood up, pushing the blade away from his throat with a careful, steady hand. “You know what’s happening to me? These flames-- my Persona- Arsene doesn’t break like this! Did Nyarlathotep--”

“Yes and no. But…” The demon’s blue eyes glittered and widened, as if they saw something. “Aah- Aaah--! Wonderful, wonderful! You’ll burn so brightly! Those flames, those flames that can burn even the darkest chaos! As expected of someone like you, Lord Senpai!” They let out a bright, genuinely happy laugh. “So much agony! I want to see your agony, Lord Senpai!”

...Ren wanted this demon out of Sumire ASAP. The fact they were saying something so twisted with her face was… bad. It was just bad. He supposed that the demon might be even more twisted, and Sumire’s innocence was keeping them from being wholly awful. Or, the demon could be completely ‘normal’, and just didn’t mesh well with Sumire’s line of thinking. Unlike Sytry, who could just default to ‘fight’ and Ryuji’s subconscious could probably agree, there was probably… way more going on behind those unsettlingly blue eyes than Ren could comprehend.

...Also he personally hated the name ‘Lord Senpai’. 

His hands were suddenly grabbed. Ren braced for an attack, but instead the demon simply pressed them against their cheek.

“I have decided that I wish for you to succeed. I surrender.” Purson said, simply. “The plans that Lady Summoner Lavinia has… they are admirable, but her puppetmaster’s goals result in an utterly… boring end.”

A… boring end…? “Wait-! Who’s using Futaba!” He asked. The demon grinned, before tossing their hair back with a faux annoyed sigh.

“Ah… this is one of my gripes with humans. You give them a sip of knowledge, and they wish to drink the entire well. I can not, and will not tell you. My heart is fractured. It lies with my former lord, my current lord, and my allies. Besides, the fight is already over.” The demon pointed behind Ren, as Sytry was lying prone on the cat, Morgana kneading his paws into his chest. 

“Huh.”

Purson brushed past him with a lazy wave. “If you had simply pushed past the pain of the Maeigaon, and used a wide-range Gun skill, you would have wounded me.” They turned to Ren with a knowing smile. He found himself remembering the knowing smiles that Lucifer had given him throughout his entire ordeal in the Other Side “Remember, the best way to defeat a demon that can see the future- is to give them a future with no escape.”

With that, Purson sat next to Sytry, as Reiho walked over. She gave Ren a blank look.

“...They surrendered.” He explained, lamely.

Reiho shrugged. “Smart choice. Are you sure you want to be conscious during this, Demon King Purson?”

“I will take it as my penance for betrayal, Lady Kuzunoha.” The demon replied calmly, stifling a yawn. “Perhaps if I return to Makai, I can re-affiliate myself with Lord Lucifer’s army…”

Rei shrugged, before rolling up her sleeves. Her arms, slim and muscular, seemed to shine with tattoo-like sigils. She held her hands out toward the two demons, as Morgana hopped out of the way. 

_”O’ power granted to me by the Heavenly Goddess Ishtar- techniques passed down from Abe-no-Seimei, this is my prayer…”_ She began to chant, quietly, as a circle of light surrounded the two demons. Immediately, Ryuji’s body began to convulse, his arms flailing wildly, as Sumire seemed to sit calmly- although the fact that the demon holding onto her was simply trying to bite back the pain was apparent.

_”Expel the evil from these pure souls. All demons, return from whence you came--!”_ She crossed her arms in front of her chest, the shining tattoos flashing. _**”Estoma!”**_ A pillar of light shot from the center of the circle, engulfing the two possessed Phantom Thieves, the sound of two voices screaming in pain caused Ren to wince. He didn’t want to hear his friends in agony like this, but…

The light faded, along with the glowing sigils on Reiho’s arms. Ren stared at the unconscious bodies of Ryuji and Sumire, slowly walking over and kneeling by them. He gently shook their shoulders, as both of their eyes slowly opened up. Brown and red respectively. He let out a sigh of relief, as Ryuji lazily looked over at him.

“Hey… tell that shitty cat… to hold back next time...” He mumbled, before his eyes closed again. It wasn’t much… but just knowing that Ryuji was okay in the long run was enough to put his mind at ease. He glanced over at Sumire, who was staring at him with a somewhat pitiful expression.

“Sorry… Senpai… I should have been stronger…” She whispered, tiredly. He shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it. If anything, I learned a lot while fighting against you.” He quietly said.

“...Really…? You always know... what to say… Senpai… I’m glad…” She smiled, before her eyes started drifting shut again. “Sorry… I’m really tired…”

“Right. Rest up, please. Skull’s already fast asleep, so you don’t have to worry about looking bad in front of all your Senpai.” ...Ren quickly realized that his comforting was unneeded, considering that she had passed out in the middle of his sentence. He smiled, picking her up as Reiho propped up Ryuji. “I guess this is a win on our… part…?” He looked around, the scenery around them had returned to its flat, detail-less state, and there was an opening for them to leave from on the far end of the room.

“I guess that’s a yes.” Reiho said, with a smile. “Good work, you two. I’m pretty happy- I got to see a member of the Phantom Thieves fighting in person.”

Morgana chuckled, hopping onto Ren’s shoulders happily. “Well, we are a pretty elite team, aren’t we? Now, Ren. Let’s get home and check the Phan-Site! I’m sure plenty of people are commenting on Lavinia’s broadcast! Hopefully Mishima isn’t too overwhelmed with admining, especially with a clear uptick in activity.”

“He’ll be fine.” Ren replied casually. “Plus, I’m sure they’re having a good, insightful conversation on there.”

“...Yeah. Right.”

* * *

>   
>  **ANON:** wow… TV really has gotten weird...  
>  **ANON:** weren't those guys phantom thieves? are they all infighting?  
>  **ANON:** Oh, like a ‘Civil War’ thing? That’s a pretty weird narrative…  
>  **ANON:** is nobody else going to talk about the FUCKING SUPER CAT???  
>  **ANON:** I thought that guy with the blue flames and the black coat was kinda freakin me out  
>  **ADMIN:** You thought Joker was scary? Joker is the coolest!  
>  **ANON:** def agreeing with admin on this one. joker is pretty freakin cool..  
>  **ANON:** Bro that Red-hair girl is from the Tokyo incident all two years ago!! With Kirijo!! She saved me along with that skull-masked kid!! Are they evil now???  
>  **ANON:** that lady in the white suit casted some weird spell and they seemed chill after that…..  
>  **ANON:** Hey not to be ‘that guy’ but they were totally fighting with Stands, right?  
>  **ANON:** wats an ‘eigah’  
>  **ANON:** This totally confirms my fan theory that the Phantom Thieves are superpowered aliens! Follow my blog for more!!  
>  **ANON:** Hey not to be weird but I totally ship Joker and Red Hair Girl omggg <3  
>  **ANON:** Um… there was obviously more chemistry between Joker and Skull-mask!!!  
>  **ANON:** they were trying to kill each other lmao  
>  **ANON:** it’s called ENEMIES TO LOVERS and it’s ART  
>  **ANON:** wwwwww  
>  **ADMIN:** _Breaking News: The Phantom Thieves are not aliens._  
>  **ANON:** YOU CANT HIDE THE TRUTH!!!!!!  
>  **ANON:** this is def material for my PT/JJBA crossover fic…...  
> 

* * *

“...It seems as if the public really isn’t taking this seriously as long as these battles are broadcast… to be honest, I can’t blame them, but that doesn’t stop it from being disappointing.”

Akechi sighed as he stepped into the bathhouse, glad that it was open for 24 hours. The fight had been successful, and despite his current thoughts on the situation… he had to appreciate Lavinia broadcasting the fights. The public reception was positive, but to his personal benefit he was able to see Ren fight after several years. It was a strange experience. On one hand, Ren’s physical skill had increased drastically. He was faster, and Akechi had noticed he had gained a bit more muscle than when they were teenagers. Amamiya’s physique had been… less than ideal back then. He didn’t take good care of his body- most likely focusing on the ordeals and health of the Phantom Thieves as an organization rather than his own personal health as a human being. So, it was nice to see that Amamiya was choosing to take a bit better care of himself. On the other hand, Ren’s own fighting ability had seemed to be more… defensive this time around. He could picture someone like Kitagawa or Niijima fighting defensively, but Ren’s main strength was his speed and adaptability, there was no reason for him to fight with more caution than he generally employed. 

He put his clothes in a locker, along with his handgun. It seemed as if Amamiya was already inside, laying back with his eyes closed as sweat rolled down his chest. Akechi’s eyes widened for a moment. There were scars. It wasn’t as if Ren was horribly mutilated- they were light and sparse- but the fact that they existed in the first place welled up a complicated feeling within him. Well, he supposed that all wounds in the Metaverse couldn’t be purely healed by magic, and perhaps he had been in even worse situations since then. Still… It was a shame for someone as agile and talented as Ren to have scars. Scars were a sign that Ren had made a mistake. 

Ren lazily opened one eye, staring at Akechi. “I didn’t take you as the type to ‘ogle’, Akechi-san.” He said, dryly. The Phantom Thief sat up a bit, before gesturing for Akechi to come over. “Come in. You wanted to talk about something, right?”

Akechi folded his arms, stepping into the bath across from Ren. “I simply wanted to check up on what I couldn’t see from Lavinia’s broadcast. Reiho-san managed to… save Sakamoto and Yoshizawa, right?”

Ren nodded, trying to keep his expression neutral, but the happiness in his eyes was clear. “Yeah… they’re alright. Thank god. She said that they’ll have to rest for a while- their minds need to recover, especially after being taken over by that kind of demon.” His eyes clouded over for a second, as he bit his lip gently. “That just leaves Ann and Yusuke.” 

“You’re worried?”

“A bit.” Ren replied, honestly. “It wasn’t like I was fighting some demons that looked like Ryuji and Sumire. It was like I was actually fighting them, but with amped up strength. I think I only beat Sytry because he was pulling too much from Ryuji’s impulsiveness, but Purson…” 

Akechi nodded, understanding. Sytry and Purson were both demons pertaining to knowledge, sure, but Sytry was a demon whose knowledge centered around lust and sexuality- especially pertaining to women. Being put against Amamiya and Morgana was simply a bad matchup on Sytry’s part, and the demon had to rely on raw strength instead of trickery and manipulation. Purson, however, was a demon that had immense knowledge over hidden objects and lost treasures, and had also been noted to have incredibly powerful clairvoyance- as was far from the only Goetic demon to possess such an ability. If anything, Sumire’s own humanity- be it her physical brain or her mindset- was unintentionally holding Purson back from using his full potential. The human brain couldn’t possibly handle something as complex as clairvoyance by itself, after all. At least, not to the level that a Goetic demon could. “...It seemed like you two were talking a lot. What did Purson mention? The audio on the broadcasts isn’t the best.”

“They mentioned something… about being ‘globes’ to some ‘Outer God’.” Ren continued. “Although, I’m not really sure what that is.”

Akechi’s eyes widened. “...Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. Why, do you know something?” 

“Potentially…” Akechi murmured, arms crossed. He hadn’t taken much time to invest his attention towards inane things like Lovecraftian lore, but he understood the basics. 

Outer Gods. Beings that existed far beyond the reaches of the perceived universe. They didn’t directly interact with humans, as far as he understood, the only interaction being when their ‘will’ managed to slip through the cracks in reality, but never intentionally. They were beings with power far beyond human comprehension, unbeatable and unkillable- as the concept of ‘death’ is something belonging to the natural world, and they were far from natural. 

“Akechi?”

“You’ve made a pretty terrible enemy if I’m right, Amamiya.” Akechi replied with a long sigh. “Of course, this shouldn’t be new to you. Perhaps you should bring it up to those ‘Devil Summoners’ you know.” He paused, before his brow knit. “Speaking of… that ‘Kyouji’... why is he using Niijima-san’s body?”

“Who knows?” Ren replied, “Sae-san is pretty athletic, has governmental ties, and it’s not like she’s super close with many people, plus she awakened to a Persona…”

What.

“Niijima-san has… a Persona?” Akechi asked, eyes wide. “Since when?!”

“Since two years ago. I haven’t seen it myself. From what I heard, it’s similar to Makoto’s. You know, can turn into a vehicle and shoot nuclear blasts. Something about it being able to passively hunt down targets too. I thought it sounded pretty cool. I was pretty bummed out when it turned out that Sae was possessed, although maybe this Kyouji Kuzunoha guy is even more impressive.” He shrugged casually, lifting his arms from the water and bracing himself on the side of the large tub. 

The two sat in silence for a moment, before Akechi asked the other question that had been lingering on his mind. “Your fighting style. Did something happen? You seem like you’re afraid to use your Persona too much, but I know better than anyone that you have the spiritual power to support it.”

Amamiya laughed. As bright as it would have sounded to anyone else, Akechi could tell that it was hollow. “Guess nothing gets past the great ex-detective.” He sighed. “Two years ago. My body was… used as a catalyst for some super-demon called Nyarlathotep. I committed a lot of atrocities. Well… atrocities to me, to you they’d just be ‘errands’ or something.” There wasn’t any malice in his tone, despite the bitter words. “But well, that’s not the only reason why. That whole ordeal I was pushing myself. I was captured by the Kirijo Group, and was locked in an interrogation room for days. When I escaped, I immediately started fighting. It didn’t hurt then. When my body was taken over by Nyarlthotep, it didn’t hurt then either. And after that, I kept fighting, and fighting, and fighting. Nobody tells you when your Persona is on the verge of breaking. The subtle creaking in your psyche. The way that the cursed flames you’re summoning start to burn your own hand along with the enemy. I was so used to blocking out pain that it didn’t hurt until it was over and I had the time to stop and realize it.”

The scars. They were subtle burn marks. Self-inflicted, unintentionally.

“I was in the hospital for almost a month, treated by the Kirijo Group, told not to use my Persona anymore until they were sure I’d be fine. They discharged me a few days before everyone left Tokyo, so I’d be able to give a fully proper goodbye.”

“Let me guess. You used it again?” Akechi asked. “You were never one to listen to authority, even when they had a point.”

Ren’s gaze drifted, focusing on the surface of the water. “...The Jails. I had been going through the Jails without incident, before… one day it creaked. My brain. My Persona. It broke. Raoul’s flames covered me, I was on fire, and they only went out after I was unconscious. After getting some help, they told me I experienced a ‘Persona Break’.”

“A… ‘Persona Break’?”

“I couldn’t summon anything for a week. My head was screaming. I couldn’t think straight. I think for a bit I forgot what my friends looked like, even when they were helping me. They’re supposed to be short-term, temporary, but apparently that’s when they’re broken by some outside force, and the mind is able to quickly piece it back together so that you can keep fighting. But mine was entirely natural and self-inflicted, so…” He trailed off. “Anyways, it’s just that I need to be careful.”

“Right…” Akechi decided not to press further. It was clear Amamiya was skimming on the details, but… well, the details didn’t exactly seem pleasant.

“...Still, you’ve missed a lot. You’ve been gone for a few years.” Ren said with a light smile, trying to change the subject.

“You didn’t seem too shocked to see me again.” Akechi replied, calmly. That was actually something that intrigued him. If anything, Amamiya seemed to be irritated to see him alive, but far from shocked or upset. Amamiya’s expression became hard to read, the steam from the bath making his already drab grey eyes even harder to see. That was Amamiya Ren. His eyes were like the ocean. One moment they could be bright and clear, and another they could be dead and lifeless. Doll-like. That was something that had always intrigued Akechi. Amamiya’s capacity to be just as dead and empty inside as him, and yet his choice not to be. But… something had happened while Akechi was gone to push that boundary even moreso. 

“Why did you come back?” Ren asked, ducking away from Akechi’s statement. “Why are you helping us?”

Why… did he come back? What a stupid question. Akechi didn’t know ‘why’ himself. He also didn’t know why he wanted to waste his time helping Amamiya, or why he wanted to help anyone else. Frankly, he would have preferred if he had just died in Shido’s palace. Shido was indisposed, the Phantom Thieves had moved on, he didn’t have a purpose anymore. The only thing left to his name was the crimes that he committed, and the world considered him dead. He had nowhere to go, his life had literally been engraved into a dead end. So… what had drawn him back? His eye twitched as he tried to think of an answer, frustration burning from the irrationality of his own actions. “Amamiya--”

“Yoo-hoo! Room for one more?” A voice called out, before a pale body cannonballed into the water next to Akechi, splashing him. Akechi grit his teeth, brushing soaked hair from his face as he turned to glare at Teddie.

“Why you--”

“Sorry, A-sketchy-ketchy!” Teddie grinned, before sinking further into the bath. “Aaah- normally I’d like to sit and soak with a bunch of ladies, but there’s nothing better for this little bear than a hot bath, no matter the company!” He looked between Ren and Akechi, before sitting up. “Wuh-oh, did I interrupt anything?”

Ren shook his head. “We were just talking about the fight. I guess it’ll be you and Kyouji-san next, right? Is Nanako-chan going to fight?” Ren paused, frowning. “Should she fight?”

Teddie’s brow furrowed, his normally cheerful expression growing more serious. “If it were up to me, I’d say no… I really don’t want Nana-chan to fight. I want Nana-chan to live a normal life, where she doesn’t have to worry about scary things like Shadows. But… I don’t think there’s much of a choice. People awaken to Personas for a reason.” The blond boy crossed his arms, chewing on his lower lip. “Rrrgh… it’s a really grizzly situation, but it’s destiny. Everyone has the potential for a Persona, it’s just up to fate and chance if you manage to pull it out in time.”

“Fate and chance?” Akechi asked. “Isn’t that a contradiction?”

“Not at all.” Teddie said, crystalline eyes staring off vacantly as he spoke. “It’s like if ‘fate’ picks everyone who can awaken at a given time, ‘chance’ decides who manages to awaken who actually does. I was picked to help out in Inaba, I want to believe, but chance is what led me to meet and grow close to Sensei, which let me accept my Shadow when it appeared. But if I missed Sensei, and he had gotten close to someone like Adachy-baby instead, then maybe I would have stayed in the T.V World and turned into a normal, feral Shadow again that would be killed by Sensei later. I would have still played a ‘role’, since that had been decided, but the chances and experiences led me to playing the role I did.”

Akechi scratched his chin. “I don’t totally understand, but I suppose I can follow the logic a bit.”

“Ehehe, good to hear, Neo-Detective-Prince-San!” The bear said with a grin. “And I’m happy with the role that I have! Working at Junes, having fun with Nana-chan, knowing Sensei and the others- I’m a really lucky bear!”

“...Right.” Akechi held back the urge to roll his eyes, before glancing over at Ren. The other man had been oddly quiet this entire time, and Akechi was beginning to wonder if he had missed something. Silver, cat-like eyes stared at Teddie, like a predator staking out it’s prey.

“Junes… Bear…” Ren mumbled, as if realizing something.

Teddie tilted his head to the side. “Huh? Yeah, that’s me.”

“Soba… Bear…” Ren growled, slowly beginning to rise from the water.

‘Ah… Ren just said something totally insane…’ Akechi thought. He hadn’t felt this sort of pressure from Ren since they had fought in Shido’s palace. ‘Aha, it’s almost like bloodlust’, Akechi noted.

“You. I’ll kill you.” Ren said.

“Ah, it is bloodlust.” Akechi said, out loud.

Ren suddenly tackled Teddie. The two men were submerged under the water for a moment, as Akechi took the time to process what was happening. Of course, he didn’t understand what was happening in the slightest, but he supposed that he should probably stop Ren. He watched the writhing mass of swinging limbs rising from the shallow bath as Ren yelled something about ‘floor soba’, ‘trauma’, ‘bear costumes’ and ‘interrogation rooms’. Akechi grabbed Ren, holding back his former teammate with as much strength as he could muster.

Ren really had gotten more muscular. Good for him. “Re- Amamiya-! What are you doing?!”

“I can’t have soba on New Years anymore! I still have nightmares about that shitty cold floor soba!” He kicked his legs at Teddie, who was backing up out of the bath.

“You were hungry! I had to feed you or else you’d starve!” Teddie cried.

“Bastard! How were the noodles cooked and still cold?! How long were you holding on to them for?!”

“W-well, I had to sneak them past Ai-chan and Akihiko-- uwaaaaaaaghhh!!”

Akechi found himself frowning a bit as Ren managed to kick out his leg far enough to smack the bear in the face with the sole of his foot. Was that such a bad experience? Well, of course it was bad, but Ren had certainly been through worse. Akechi himself had put him through much worse. So, why was Amamiya’s reaction to this ‘floor soba’ so much more visceral, when he could talk about almost being shot in the head so casually?

“Eh- Akechi…” Teddie was staring at him with a dumb expression, and was apparently shocked enough to call him by his proper name. “Are you… pouting?”

...Huh?

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Akechi snapped back, the steam from the bathhouse making his face heat up. “It’s just… Ren didn’t seem that traumatized when talking about me shooting him… maybe I should have just tortured him instead… broken some bones… then maybe that trauma would have been special...” He mumbled, glancing away sheepishly.

Teddie took another step back. “Uwaah… Akechi just said something really messed up with a weirdly cute expression… I want to go home… you guys are weird...”

There was a beat of silence, before Akechi found himself being slowly yet aggressively lifted into the air, and being suddenly tossed over Ren’s shoulder into the bath.

“Sadists! Both of you are sadists!” Ren screamed, his voice hoarse.

“H-Hey! Don’t lump me in with A-sketchy!”

“Don’t you dare call me a sadist, Amamiya!”

The argument continued for what seemed to be several long, disruptive minutes before the three of them were kicked out of the bathhouse with a warning. The three men, still soaked and hastily dressed, sat quietly on the cold streets of Yongen-Jaya, all three of them at various levels of irritation for various reasons. A moment passed as they sat quietly on the asphalt, before Teddie chuckled.

“That was fun! Let’s do it again tomorrow!” He said, cheerfully.

“Absolutely not.” Ren and Akechi said in unison. 

“Besides,” Ren continued, “Unlike you guys, I come here often. I want to stay on the bathhouse owner's good side.” He pulled out his phone, shaking some residual bathwater off it. “Oh, It’s going to rain tonight. You guys should get back to wherever you’re staying. A storm and Shoggoths outside isn’t going to be good. Personally, I’m going to get to bed.” He stood up yawning, waving a hand. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He walked off toward LeBlanc, as Teddie waved at him.

“I guess I’ll go too!” Teddie said with a smile, hopping up to his feet. “I promised to watch a movie with Nana-chan tomorrow! Bye-bye, Akechi!” He lightly kicked Akechi with his foot before waddling off cheerfully. 

Akechi was the only one left, sitting around at the dead of night. Ren’s question still buzzed in his head, like some obnoxious insect.

‘Why did you come back?’

“Idiot,” Akechi mumbled, slowly standing up, and pulling on his gloves. He stared at them for a moment, one of the gloves looking a few years older and more worn than the other. He sighed, before sliding his hands in his pockets, shaking his head.

“...Don’t ask me questions I can’t answer.”


	14. The Words of Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nanako chats with Big Bro. Ren has another dream, and meets a familiar face he'd rather not see again.

“Please pick up… please pick up…” Nanako held the small cell-phone to her ear, shaking a bit. It was relatively old- a hand me down from her older cousin. Sure, her friends bugged her about how old it was, and her Dad and Yu had asked her time and time again if she wanted a new one, but she didn’t really see why. She could still text and call her friends on this one, so it didn’t matter much to her. Besides, she was making sure to take incredibly good care of it.

 _”Hello? Nanako?”_ A voice finally picked up, Nanako letting out a long sigh of relief.

“Big Bro!” She called out, happily. She kicked her legs idly as she sat on the edge of the hotel bed. She couldn’t describe how happy she was that he picked up the phone. He had mentioned that he would be able to talk with her ‘any time’, but even he was busy, and it was almost an hour past midnight. 

_”Nanako! It’s late! Shouldn’t you be in bed?”_ Yu scolded, gently. 

She frowned. “Sorry, Big Bro… there’s just a lot of scary things happening, and I wanted to talk with you…”

Yu was quiet for a moment, before she heard him sigh over the phone. _”Sorry, I should have considered that. I know there’s a lot going on in Tokyo, but me and some others are trying to find a way into the city now, and I’ll come and pick you up as soon as I can, okay? Just stay inside, and be safe.”_

“Oh, Teddie didn’t tell you?” That was weird. She had thought summoning a ‘Persona’ was a big deal to Teddie and Yu. 

A long pause. _”Didn’t tell me… whaaaat?”_

“I got a Pers--”

She heard the phone drop. Maybe he was just overwhelmed with happiness. She knew she had been excited to help Teddie and the others once the situation had been explained to her. That had to be it, Big Bro was just so happy that he threw the phone on the ground.

...Right. Definitely.

“Big Bro…?”

After what seemed like about a minute, the phone was picked back up. _”Yep. Yeah. I’m here, Nanako. Just… um, you’ve given me a lot to process right now.”_

“Ah- okay! But isn’t it great! I get to fight with you and Teddie!”

_”...No. I’m… happy about you getting your Persona, but… you can’t fight.”_

...What did he mean? But she could fight now. Teddie said that he didn’t know what sort of power she had specifically- but when they went to fight in that Tower, she would find out! She would find out, and then--

 _”Did you hear me, Nanako? You’re not fighting. I won’t-- I can’t let you. Teddie shouldn’t have even taken you in there in the first place.”_ Nanako flinched. His voice was cold. It wasn’t mean, or scary, or even threatening- just… cold. She hadn’t heard him like this before. Wasn’t he supposed to be happy? Now they could work together, and have fun fighting alongside one another.

“But… didn’t you just say you were happy? Now we can be together! I can work together with you, and Yukiko, and Chie, and Yosuke, and--!”

_”No, Nanako. This isn’t a discussion, you just… you just can’t. It’s dangerous, and I’m not there to protect you.”_

That was right… Big Bro was always there to protect her. Always. Always. Even in somewhere far away, like Heaven, he had been there… “But-- but that’s why I want to fight too! It isn’t fair for you to help me all the time! I… I don’t want to hold you back anymore!” That was it. One wish. One simple wish- she wanted to be someone who could stand side-by-side with him. She didn’t want to be someone who needed to be fussed over, or dead weight. “Big Bro… that scary broadcast… if I had this power, then I can help people- I can fight back and--”

 _”Not a chance!”_ Yu yelled. She flinched. He never yelled at her. Not ever, in the years that they had known each other. _”If you go out and get hurt, what am I supposed to do?”_

“It doesn’t matter if I get hurt! I wanna help! Let me help!” She yelled back, stomping her foot, her eyes beginning to sting a bit.

 _”It doesn’t matter…? Of course it matters! Don’t say twisted things like that, Nanako!”_ He retorted. _”You’re not strong enough! I can’t just let you run around and fight monsters that are stronger than you!”_

“Big Bro is always keeping me out! Why? Everyone else has these special powers, but when I get them, it’s wrong? I just want to be like Big Bro! You play with Yosuke and Teddie, and make friends with all these special people! I’m special too, Big Bro!” She didn’t get it. Why wasn’t he happy for her? Why weren’t they both celebrating, and making plans for all the fun things they could do together? Was it because he was an adult now, and she was still a kid? She thought Big Bro loved to help people, and spend time with her- wasn’t this the perfect chance to do both? What was he so scared of? Why was he so mad?

 _”Of course you’re special, Nanako, that’s why I can’t let you fight. Not when I’m not there with you. You’re too young, Nanako. You shouldn’t be doing dangerous things.”_ He said, after a short pause.

“That’s a lie! I’m almost as old as Risette and Naoto was when she started spending time with you guys! And that’s when you all started doing all those special things, right?” She shot back.

_”Nanako…”_

“Well, I don’t care! If I don’t fight, and if I don’t try, then I’ll never be able to be like Big Bro!”

 _”I don’t WANT you to be like me, Nanako! Don’t you get that?”_ He snapped at her. _”I want you to--”_

“Why…? Why is it always what Big Bro wants…? I can be strong too! So just let me help, please!”

He didn’t want her to be like him…? She bit her lip, shaking her head. That didn’t make sense either. He was cool, and heroic, and always took care of people. There was nothing bad about that, was there? He wasn’t making any sense.

_”How am I supposed to deal with you getting hurt? How am I--”_

“It’s not about you, Big Bro! Stupid! Big Bro is stupid!”

_”You’re acting childish, Nanako!”_

“I hate Big Bro! I’m going to fight and I’ll show you that I can be just as strong as you can!” 

_”Nana--!!”_ She hung up, throwing the phone across the hotel room. Immediately, she burrowed herself under the covers of the hotel bed, her shoulders trembling. The conversation had escalated and ended quickly, and she felt even more confused. She had expected him to be the happiest. They had been spending less and less time together, and as he got busier he was visiting Inaba and calling even less so. It wasn’t fair… whenever people grew up, they always had to go away. Dad and his job… Mom… even Adachi had to go away. Wasn’t this her chance to grow up and catch up with him too? Even if she was younger, with this power she could finally catch up.

That’s all she wanted. To catch up. To fill in the gap that she knew was growing between them. 

...So why? Why wasn’t he happy for her? She lay still for what seemed like fifteen minutes. And then thirty And then an hour. She couldn’t get to sleep, but she didn’t want to get out either.

She heard the hotel room door squeak open. “I’m ho~me, Nana-chan! Hm? Nana-chan? Ohoho, hide and seek? I thought we were gonna stay up late and watch ‘Devil Survivor: Overclock to the Future’!” She heard careful footsteps tip-toe over to the bed, before the covers were lifted off of her. “Woah, a wild Nana-chan ap… peared…?” He trailed off, staring at her face. She hadn’t realized that she had been crying hard. She looked up at him with puffy red eyes, before sitting up and yanking him into a hug. Teddie was warm. Teddie didn’t grow up, so he could be her friend forever, right? 

“Everything okay, Nana-chan?”

She paused. She didn’t want to unload everything onto him. It wouldn’t be fair- not after the whole ordeal with her other self. “...Big Bro is a dummy...” She whimpered after a moment of thought, burying her face in his chest.

“You were in a fight? ...Sensei can be like that sometimes, but never with you...” Teddie relied with a chuckle. “You want to talk about it?”

She shook her head.

“...You want to just sit here for a while?”

She nodded.

“Okay then. I’ll just sit here for a while until Nana-chan smiles again.” He declared, simply. She let out a small exhale, coming to her own conclusion. Even if Big Bro didn’t want it, she’d fight as hard as she could. If he didn’t think she could catch up, then she’d prove him wrong.

“...I’ll become the strongest for you, Big Bro…”

* * *

Ren found himself in another dream. Or… memory? Maybe both. On the upside, it was less jarring this time. After the whole… mess at the bathhouse, he had dragged himself back to LeBlanc, and planned on wistfully thinking about Akechi’s return and what that meant for their relationship as people and potential teammates, and closed his eyes, and then opened them.

And now here he was. Seeing through the Researcher Woman’s eyes again. There was no massive bloody city, or giant red-haired demon creature, or past trauma. Just… straight into the dream. Another upside was that this time around, the researcher didn’t seem nearly as tired. She was idly typing at the computer--

 _’Again..?’_ Ren thought. Cognitive scientist or not, she needed to get away from that screen, or else her eyes would probably end up melting out of her brain. The lingering effects of a migraine seemed to be plaguing her, but that didn’t seem to stop her in the slightest. Fingers clicked across the keys with terrifying speed. Probably the only person he had seen type faster than this was Futaba, and he was sure that her WPM ration was something superhuman. He looked at the screen as she was typing. It seemed to be some sort of incantation. He looked at the desk, seeing a worn and tattered scroll next to several sheets of paper, translating various letters from an unknown language into what looked like Arabic, and then English, and then finally Japanese which she was typing into the console.

“...So, explain to me why I’m doing your translation homework, Gomory-dono? Because the more I type, the more I feel as if this is something super evil and really bad.” She said, calmly. Far too calmly for Ren’s tastes, but at least she was expressing some self-awareness. The demon made their presence known, draping a bronze arm around the researcher’s shoulder.

 **”I told you before. This isn’t anything wrong. I simply needed this scroll translated into a more modern tongue. And you’re simply helping me out of the kindness of your heart, right?”** Deep blue eyes made intense eye contact, lightly grabbing the researchers chin and staring at her intently.

 _’I don’t trust like that…’_ Ren thought.

“That sounds really freaking shady.” The researcher replied, Ren feeling an intense sense of kinship before she swallowed hard. The researcher was having a hard time both looking Gomory in the eyes, and an even harder time saying no. Ren could practically feel her sense of will melting, at least when it came to protesting. Whatever sort of thrall that came along with this demon- it was strong in every sense of the word, and complex enough that people didn’t just turn into mindless zombies when they were put under it. It was actually unsettling… having enough free will to speak up, but knowing that whatever you did, you ultimately didn’t have a choice in any of your actions. 

The demon stepped back, tossing back a wave of silken, dark hair. **”Besides, you summoned me. I’m not a monster, simply a demon.”**

 _’What’s the difference?’_ He thought.

“What’s the difference?” She said.

This lady was awesome. Finally, someone who followed his amazingingly lackluster sense of humor. He wondered if he could meet her someday. Maybe this person was him in a past life…? Or him from another timeline? No, neither of those things lined up. Best bet was probably just someone who he’d just get along with fairly easily. Unfortunately, the demon seemed less amused, rolling their shining eyes and lightly patting the researcher on the head.

**”You know, it isn’t wise to taunt a demon. Especially with someone so… precious so close by.”**

As if some keyword had been triggered, the demon’s thrall seemed to break immediately. The researcher stood up, grabbing up the scroll with one hand and threatening to rip it with the other. “Don’t you dare…! Keep her out of this, or I swear I’ll tear up your shitty LARPing scroll!”

Gomory blinked, resting both hands on their hips. **”Fine, fine. I wouldn’t harm her anyway. She seems like a rather… special young girl. Not special yet, but her future will certainly be promising.”** They nodded with a smile that Ren noted as a bit too smug, nodding carefully. **”You know what? I’m feeling rather kind tonight. Perhaps I’ll tell you what this scroll is for.”**

 _’...Really?’_ Talk about easy. If he was seeing these dreams for a reason, then sure- have the demon lay out some incredibly important information. It just made his job a lot easier.

**”This scroll- this incantation- is a tool to save the world. A Key to a power greater than what my runic magic could even attempt to reach.”**

_’Fuck you.’_ That was no help at all.

“...Save the world?” The researcher asked. “...Why would a demon want to save the world? I don’t understand.”

The demon stepped over to the researcher, pinching her cheeks in a similar manner to how someone squeezed the cheeks of a young child. **”It must be nice being young and oblivious. Tell me, woman. Have you heard of the ‘Tower of Babel’?”**

“...Yeah? Old story about how everyone on Earth tried to build a tower together, but then they were cursed by God to speak different languages in order for the tower’s construction to fail, right?”

The demon nodded. **”Very good. The story is that ~~YHVH~~ saw that the Tower would be able to reach Heaven, and thought it was blasphemy- therefore, He created strife and discord amongst the people so that the Tower would never come to completion. However, I wouldn’t say that the story is entirely accurate.”** The demon frowned, notably, for the first time. They turned away, lips pouting slightly as they reminisced. **”...That Tower would have led humanity to the perfect society. No war. No poverty. No hunger. Society’s advancement would have skyrocketed. Man would have mastered electricity and reached the stars before the days of Yeshua! See, if everyone thinks the same, and everyone has the same idea of what others will do, then there’s no need for conflict. It would almost have been the world that ~~YHVH~~ wanted. However, He was scared of what that world would be. A beautiful, peaceful world, free from the temptations and machinations of demons and angels.”**

“Um, thanks for the bible school lecture, but that didn’t really answer my first question.”

 **”The answer is simple.”** The gaudy demon said, resting a hand on their bosom. **”My wish is rather simple, and rather boring. I wish for that beautiful world. I wish for the pain of humans to end. I will re-create the Tower of Babel, and use it as a catalyst to save the world.”**

The feeling in Ren’s chest was bad. Not because he felt deceit or fear, but because he actually felt like he was believing this demon- and he knew the researcher felt that way too. 

**”Your fate is pitiful, woman. It is a shame that you can not see my new world come into fruition.”** The demon said. **”...You can stop for now. You’ve made good progress in the translation. Either go back to your work, or go to bed. I would recommend the latter.”**

There was a moment where the researcher turned to leave, before hesitating. “I… I guess I’m just having trouble to believe it, right? Aren’t you a demon? Like one of the generals of whoever the big guy downstairs is? Satan or Lucif--” She quickly shut up as she turned back to look at the demon. They were glaring at her. Their stare was like being pierced with a dagger, shining eyes dilated and furious, as jagged teeth seemed to peak out from their lips in a poorly hidden snarl.

 **”Be careful not to mention that capricious, short-sighted fool of a Lord in my presence..”** They said, their voice an eerie calm, but the pressure was immense- as if the very foundation of the building they were in would shake if they took a single step. **”Good night, woman.”** The demon turned away, before vanishing. 

Ren hadn’t realized both of them were holding their breath until the researcher gasped for air. She grabbed at the doorway, panting as she stumbled into a hallway. She made her way into a bathroom, splashing her face with cool water to both calm herself down and bring her back to reality. The migraine from earlier seemed to kick in as she flinched, grabbing her head before looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. 

He finally got a look at her face. A slim woman with dark hair cut into a short bob. Her eyes were a dull brown, although he supposed that under some lighting they might have appeared grey like his. Her skin was pale, dark circles under her eyes for overwork. Her brows were heavy, her makeup smudging slightly. She looked tired. Even with sharing only two experiences with her, he _knew_ she was tired. Before he could try to figure out if he had seen this woman before, the migraine grew worse as she stifled a grunt, a hand running through her short hair and thin fingers pressing against her temples. The corners of her visions began to fill with creeping darkness, a hopelessness welling in her chest before--

“...Mom? Are you okay? I heard noises…” A faint voice called out from the open hallway. The darkness in her vision receded. The researcher quickly turned to face the source of the voice. A young girl. Her hair was bright orange, although the dye job was sloppy and beginning to come out, revealing dark black hair at the roots. Mauve eyes. Thin arms folded behind her back as she rocked back and forth nervously.

“I-I’m fine, Futaba… Mom is just sleepy. Get to bed… it’s been a while since I’ve been home, but I can read you something, if you want? Another chapter of ‘Gohou Shoujo: Sukaban Luna’? Or…”

“I’m too old for that…” The girl, Futaba, mumbled- Ren felt a pang of guilt shoot through the woman. Ren hadn’t been a parent before- much less a mother for obvious reasons- but something about hearing a child say that they--

_’Wait, Futaba?’_

The girl… definitely looked like a younger Futaba. Which meant…

_’No… this is… Isshiki-san…?’_

His head began to pound- purely his own, as Wakaba and Futaba continued their own little dialogue without him. He felt himself losing his grip on the dream. 

_’Wait… hang on…--!’_

Before he felt himself snap back to reality.

* * *

His breathing was ragged. His chest was burning, as if he had been running for miles. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and each sharp intake of breath caused pain to race throughout his body. Burning. Burning. His body was burning in every way possible. Clusters of cursed flames roiled across parts of his body- along his shoulder blades and fingertips, nipping at his heels and thighs. Heat burned around his eyes, in a familiar mask-like pattern.

Another dream…? He had barely had a chance to process the one he just had. Why… was he seeing things from Isshiki Wakaba’s point of view? Were these actual events, or some sort of dream embellishment? He didn’t understand.

...He felt rain on his skin, the water weighing down his nightwear. His sweatpants were soaked, and the light shirt he wore was darkened by the rainwater. His bare feet were blistered and bleeding as he stood in the middle of a cold Tokyo street. His dark, shaggy hair was slicked down, his vision partially obscured. 

...No, he wasn’t in another dream, this was real life. The chill running through his body from the night air. This feeling of exhaustion. These were his feelings- his body screaming for a chance to rest. He realized one of his hands was incredibly sore, looking down to see that he was gripping tightly to his dagger. He turned, glancing behind him. It was odd. He hadn’t seen the Shoggoth’s in person before, and yet… he knew that those were the creatures lying prone behind him. Their flesh roiling and disgusting, with eyes and mouths of wrong proportion and in awful spots. Their bodies had been cleaved and hacked, and they groaned in unison agony as they tried to heal, but the cursed flames that covered their wounds wouldn’t let them. He looked back down at his knife, and then at the dozens of monsters in his wake. No… the dozens that he could see. But he felt as if he had hacked apart many, many more.

“...I… did this…” It wasn’t a question. It was as if he was just convincing himself of what should have been obvious. The feeling was odd. His body remembered the actions that he took, but his mind could draw nothing but blanks- or at the very most, small vague patches of memory. He quickly dropped the knife, as if it were some sort of cursed object, taking a step away from it. “When… I was dreaming…? What am I... doing here?”

Had he acted while he was asleep? Did someone take control of his body? No, no… that didn’t seem right. It was as if ‘he’ had been the one in control, but he didn’t remember what ‘he’ did. 

He panted, grabbing his chest and dropping to one knee, the exhaustion fully catching up to him. A pair of footsteps approached him. He paused, waiting anxiously. Had someone seen him? Maybe he should run- it was dark out, and it wasn’t like he was incredibly recognizable to begin with. 

“You’re lucid again. Wonderful.” A calm voice. Gentle. An image flashed through his mind at the very sound of it- a verdant field. Pristine and dazzling. Gentle, rustling grass greener than he could ever imagine. Gorgeous flowers blooming from the earth, in a vast array of colors and shapes, each one gently glistening as they rustled in a cool, calming breeze.

His panic seemed to subside immediately, as well as the exhaustion as the footsteps approached closer, and the shadow of a person drew nearer.

He looked up. A woman- a foreigner, but it was impossible to place where she was from. Her features seemed both well-defined, and loose in Ren’s eyes. Long, golden hair framed her face, shimmering almost like a halo. Two silver hairpins, modeled after the horned, vile skulls of demons, seemed to glisten brightly even in the falling rain and under the dark clouds. She was wearing a faint blue frilled dress, although accents of black, silver and gold seemed to decorate it rather liberally. She was holding a parasol, a brilliant white and adorned with six, wide feather-like designs that sprouted from the center of the umbrella, and spread outward. 

On her lily white arms were scratches. They weren’t bleeding, and yet he could tell that they were fresh. His eyes widened as he saw remnants of the same cursed, dark blue flames that had ripped apart the Shoggoth’s earlier. His eyes widened, as he backed up in the rain, his hands slipping in a puddle and scraping on asphalt.

“I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t…” He didn’t have an excuse. “I’ll… I’ll go… I’m--”

The woman simply smiled at him, tilting her head to the side slightly as he stumbled through his words. He realized that even with the parasol, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of water on her. Even the parasol didn’t seem to be wet, the rain almost avoiding it- and her- entirely. That’s when he finally got a look at her eyes.

Miscolored. One a brilliant, dazzling blue- the other a raging, violent red. Realization dawned on him, and while his heart seemed to remain calm, he was slightly regretting the fact that he had thrown his dagger away. He grimaced a bit when she stepped on it with dark heels, and calmly kicked it away. 

“It’s been quite some time, lost lamb, but I told you we’d cross paths again.” The fallen angel said with a gentle smile barely masking the sheer pressure she was emitting. She came closer, handing the winged parasol to him gently. He took it, the rain beginning to avoid him as well, and a feeling of dryness returning to him and his clothes. The demon lord gave him a bemused look, before gracefully taking one of his hands.

“It seems like we’ve much to talk about, hmm?”


	15. The Demon Lord Gave Me a Water Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the chapter title said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost added this chapter to Dark Sun just based off all the backreading I was doing. Anyways, I get to do my favorite thing: Have Lucifer talk a lot.

The two of them sat down on a curb, Lucifer brightly handing him a water bottle, remarking that Ren must have worn himself out.

...What a strange statement to make. ‘The Demon Lord Gave Me a Water Bottle’ seemed as if it were the title of some sort of tacky light novel. And yet, this was Ren’s life, and he simply had to deal with it.

Talking with Lucifer was… a consistently strange experience. The first time Ren had done so, it was in what could literally be described as Heaven. A place far from the dangers of both demons and humans. It was a place where Ren could immediately feel at ease, and was able to recover his sense of self from Nyarlathotep’s influence. 

Well, at first he had thought that Heaven purely had that sort of comforting energy, but even now he had to admit that Lucifer was causing his heart to lull a bit as well. Just looking at the Demon Lord made him remember the calming scenery. Perhaps that was the natural ability of angels. In the brief time he had encountered the angel Gabriel on the Other Side, he had felt hesitation during their fight, but unfortunately that hesitation was lost to the bloodlust produced by the Chaotic God using his body. It felt different than the thrall that Gomory seemed to be using on Isshiki Wakaba. While Gomory seemed like they were simply closing off all other actions except the ones that benefitted them the most, Lucifer seemed as if just being in his presence gave Ren extra paths and options, either toward pureness or sin.

...A fitting skill for the Demon Lord of Temptation. Giving humanity choices, or potentially just the illusion of choice. Testing again and again if humanity would slide down toward sin, or rise above their selfish nature. 

There was the fact that he looked astonishingly human. Even with the discolored eyes and the aura, Ren couldn’t imagine himself being able to point the demon lord out in a crowd as being anything other than ‘slightly odd’. It wasn’t like encountering a Shadow, where he could immediately tell that there was something inhuman. If this was the first time they met, Ren expected that he’d give her no more than a passing glance. Still… while it didn’t seem exactly strange for the Demon Lord Lucifer to use shapeshifting and trickery, the demon was generally thought of as male. So… what reason was there to be a woman this time around?

“Hm. I usually prefer masculine forms,” The demon suddenly spoke, as if reading Ren’s mind. Upon further thought, he had been quiet for a while. Ren must have been staring. “...but I thought you’d recognize me the easiest like this, considering that this is the form I used when we met. As an angel however, I am a ‘machine’ created by god. Sex and gender apply to me in the same way it would apply to an oven.”

It was an unflattering comparison, and despite the calm expression on the demon lord’s face, there was a hint of irritation in his words. Resentment at being born as a ‘tool for god’. Lucifer had lamented that before as well- how demons couldn’t grow and change like humans. He was trapped in his own nature, and while he certainly tried to make the most of it, he was still stuck in his dedicated role as ‘the rebellious fallen angel’.

“I was the most beautiful of my kin, however, so perhaps a beautiful woman is the most adept form for me.” He added, casually, with a blase wave of his hand. Ren silently recalled that ‘vain’ was another one of the many traits attributed to the fallen angel. “Besides, I felt as if this would be the most comforting visage for you. And it clearly worked. I vividly remember your expression when we first met.”

“...Right…” Ren muttered, glancing away. “Anyways, did you need anything?”

“You’re the one that came out here.” Lucifer said, that same ever-knowing smile on his face. “Aren’t you curious about that? Your body moving on your own? Your Persona ‘malfunctioning’, for lack of a better word?”

Ren looked at the light burns on his arms. He would, sure, but was it really wise to trust the words of a demon like Lucifer?

“Such a harsh expression,” Lucifer gasped, “Considering I helped you way back then, and yet you still don’t trust me? I’m being extra generous, you know, considering that I had to endure you for awhile until you finally woke up.” He held up a pale arm, and Ren noted the cuts on it. Considering that they were just on that one arm, and the rest of Lucifer’s fancy ensemble seemed spotless, it could only be assumed that Lucifer had been beating Ren back with just that arm. Furthermore, considering how wiped Ren felt, he had been fighting incredibly hard, and the demon had managed to hold him back with barely any effort.

...Scary. This demon was scary.

No, scary was an understatement. If Lucifer wanted, Ren would be in ribbons by now. No matter how casual their dialogue was, he had to keep that in mind.

...Even more considering that he had effectively ‘killed’ Lucifer on the Other Side. If there was a grudge, the demon wasn’t showing it, but Ren would have to be a complete and utter moron to offend the demon in any meaningful way. This conversation could jump from a friendly exchange of information into a terrifying ultimatum in seconds.

“Ah, that’s a nicer expression.” Lucifer said with a nod. “Now, the answer is simple. Like it or not, your body's craving the Chaos Gods’ power.”

...Ah, of course. He just missed Nyarlathotep’s power. That was all.

_Wait, what?_

“I know this because I’ve been going through a similar experience after he forcibly possessed me.” Lucifer’s lighthearted expression grew dangerously cold as he stared at his hands, flexing his white fingers before tensing them into tight balls, the veins beginning to pop out on the back of his hands and along his wrists. “...That humiliation… that arrogant ball of faceless slime defacing my body…! And yet, once I was 

“...’Reborn’?” Ren asked.

“Demons don’t die forever. When we are killed- either by the hands of a skilled Messiah, Devil Summoner, or just someone lucky- we are sent back to the Collective Unconsciousness, where our bodies reform. Some shrines can quickly remake our bodies, but that is generally only a gift for those following a Messiah. Otherwise, it takes a considerable amount of time, however, but we are effectively reborn. Or… perhaps ‘respawn’ is a better term? Think of it like a video game, but when you die, you get to re-adjust your status and appearance a bit before fully coming back. I may recreate myself as something closer to my appearance as the young angel ‘Helel’, or something more fitting of the demon lord ‘Lucifer’. Perhaps exchange a weakness toward light for one toward ice. Although when I manifest independently, I generally prefer no weakness. Although when I’m incarnated as a ‘Persona’, I’m generally forced to have one. It depends.”

Ren narrowed his eyes. “...What’s exactly the difference between a demon and a Persona…?”

“Not much,” The demon said idly. “Personality-wise, we tend to adopt some of your traits as a ‘Persona’, for obvious reasons. Strength-wise, we may be a bit weaker. That, and we’re utterly forced to obey you. Outside of that… that’s about it. But the ‘me’ who may be summoned in that ‘Velvet Room’ is still ‘me’, just slightly different.”

Strength, subservience, and adopting some of the summoners traits. “So… Helel, Satanael, and Lucifer are all you, right? But they’re all summonable as separate Personas. How does that work?”

The demon chuckled, ruffling Ren’s hair. Even a casual touch like that forced Ren’s body to tense up, the immediate sense of ‘fight or flight’ banging against the inherent calming aura of the demon, resulting in his stomach churning and a subtle feeling of sickness. “Best not to think about it too hard, little lamb. Besides, we’re losing the thread.”

Right. Ren’s powers were out of whack because he allegedly missed Nyarlathotep’s powers. While Nyarlathotep had made him much stronger, ultimately he didn’t want them.

“Morally, you don’t, but all humans yearn for strength. You were given a taste of a power far beyond that of a god. Almost God himself, if I may. Hm, you are a teenager, so maybe game analogies are the best for you. Let’s say that the average ‘level cap’ of a human Persona-user is 99. Now, say Nyarlathotep raised your ‘level cap’ from 99 to 499...”

“That’s a big jump.”

“He’s a strong demon. Unconsciously, as you used your powers, you slowly rose past 99. 105 when you killed Gabriel. 150 when you fought that robot girl. 199 when you fought the Fiends, et cetera… it became second nature for you to use strength far beyond your natural capabilities.”

“...But when I reverted back to normal, my ‘cap’ snapped back to 99, but my body is still trying to casually use power as if I were a ‘level 200’. So… my weak Eiga shots were probably on the scale of Eigaon blasts, and using Maeigaon was probably pushing Arsene, Satanael, and Raoul to their very limits.” Hence the flames. He was literally burning away at his body- his life- in order to keep up with that sort of strength. “But… why didn’t anybody notice? Why didn’t I notice?” Besides, he was holding back and those ‘Eigaon-level Eiga’ curses weren’t phasing Sytry at all. 

...Just how strong were those demon-possessed Phantom Thieves?

“Well, the look of your spells probably didn’t change much,” Lucifer said, answering his spoken question. “Your ‘Eiga’ may look the same, but all the power is condensed into that tiny blast. Your friends probably thought ‘wow, Ren has sure gotten stronger’, but they were unable to discern just how much.”

...Right. So, now that he had an understanding, he just needed to hold back. Use Pixie instead of Arsene. Slime instead of Satanael. Kelpie instead of Raoul, et cetera.

...Still, something was bugging him.

“...Why are you telling me this? And so blatantly too?” The last time he met Lucifer, the demon was soft-spoken and cryptic. Using only a few words to guide Ren to a solution. 

“I know, I know. There’s no fun in giving humans the answers they want, but this is far from the important questions. Besides, you’ll owe me more than one favor.” The demon lord said brightly, before looking away with an irritated expression. “That, and… I really want you to kill Gomory.”

...Huh? “What?”

“They’re talk of the Outer Gods. Such inane reverence… it’s no different than the blind adoration of **~~YHVH~~**. That, and those… ‘beings’... are the natural antithesis to this universe. To this world order. Demons come from human souls and beliefs, but those things…” His eyes narrowed. Clearly the Outer Gods and Lucifer had some sort of history- or perhaps he was just aware of an unpleasant history.

Still… Sophia had said something similar about the Shoggoths.

_’Something like ‘Shoggoths’... I guess if I am ‘pro-people’, those types of creatures are ‘anti-people’. Even Shadows and Demons come from humanity, but…’_

“While Demons are born from the collective mythos of humanity, those beings are born from outside conceivable space and worm their ways into human minds and mythos in order to be given solid form. Those things… are the natural enemy of both you and I. I’m sure the third component of Gaia wasn’t Nyarlathotep either. Perhaps he just wormed his way into the role of ‘humanity’s evils’ as time passed.”

Ren looked back at the trail of carved-up Shoggoths, still smoldering and painfully retching about. “...So, when I was unconscious…”

“The ‘you’ as a human was asleep, but your ‘other self’ probably woke up and took control, realizing just how many of those creatures were in the city. You’re gifted. Chosen by aspects of the Great Will to defend and fight for humanity’s sake. So, you will defend and fight for humanity, awake or not.”

His other self… taking control. Normally he couldn’t believe it, but that had to be similar to what happened to Futaba and ‘Lavinia’, right? Something had to trigger that made the role of ‘Necronomicon’ overwrite Futaba’s role as… well, ‘Futaba’. 

_’I am thou. Thou art I.’_ That was the pact that he had made with Arsene. This body was shared. ‘Amamiya Ren’ was just the ‘ego’, the one managing and compartmentalizing the choices, but if ‘Arsene’ felt as if Ren was slacking off or that the situation was out of his depth, then it made sense that the part of ‘Ren’ that was ‘Arsene’ would use their body for the sake of fighting.

“...Ask that ‘Amano’ woman about a man named ‘Chandraputra’. Perhaps that should illuminate something else regarding these beings. Unfortunately, my experiences with these creatures is second-hand for the most part. The only Outer God I’ve had the displeasure of knowing was Nyarlathotep.”

“...Little lamb. How would you feel if you were moments away from the perfect ending, and yet you made one wrong choice that ruined everything?”

That was a sudden change of subject. The cheerful, calm, casual tone had dropped from the Demon Lord. “...Irritated, I guess? What does this have to do with anything?”

“You fought against Gaia, correct? The only difference being that you spoke up for your future, and relied on your strength as humans. How would you feel if, even if you did decide to fight back, instead of a bright yet unclear future, you were met with a dark, empty one?” The way Lucifer spoke was quiet, brimming with some hidden knowledge. This reminded Ren more of their encounter in Heaven. The leading questions that seemed to lead to nowhere, but...

The only difference? A dark empty future? His head began to sting, as he gripped it. Images. That first dream. After all of his suffering in the visions, he had ended up in an empty Tokyo with rivers of blood. The sky had been dark, but there had been an eerie green tint everywhere. The moon hung above him. Dark and abnormally large. 

That dream. That horrible dream. He hadn’t had anything like it afterward- simply uncovering what was going on with Wakaba, but…

That dream. It had stuck out like a sore thumb. It didn’t fit any memories, and he had just assumed it to be a vague premonition of tragedy, but...

Lucifer continued to speak, his tone cold. “...Other paths. Other endings. Humans are only meant to see one ending, but someone like Gomory, with such potent clairvoyance, could probably see all of them… that, alongside the Outer God’s refusal to adhere...” He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

Lucifer had said that every demon was the same. Even in Heaven, he seemed to reference vague things that didn’t seem to match up with how time played out. How many ‘endings’ had Lucifer been a part of? It wasn’t uncommon for beings above humanity to treat everything like a game. That’s what Yaldabaoth had done, after all. Ren suddenly felt a small hand on his chin, as Lucifer slowly ran his fingers up his cheek. It was a caress, or felt like one at first, until the nails of Lucifer’s fingers slowly pushed into the skin under Ren’s eyes, gently pushing up against his eyeball. It didn’t hurt, although Ren wished it did, considering how uncomfortable it was, at least the pain would give him ample reason to yank his body away. The demon lord stared into his eyes, smiling somewhat wistfully.

“You’d make a beautiful demi-fiend if you had less to live for. Unfortunately, I learned from my mistakes.” Lucifer removed his hand from Ren’s face, standing up. The demon brushed some of the dirt from the curb off the fluttering blue dress, gently taking the winged parasol from Ren. “Well, I’m off. Goodbye, little lamb. I hope to speak to you again.”

“...Wait, what did you mean ‘learned from your mistakes’?” Ren asked, after a beat, as the demon lord casually sauntered off, giving Ren a dismissive wave.

“You’ll learn what I mean after Gomory. Defeat them swiftly, would you?” The demon lord said, before seemingly vanishing from thin air as the rain seemed to pour harder. Ren forgot it was raining. He stood up, folding his arms and shivering.

...He could ruminate on the questions later. Now he needed to get home.

* * *

“Did you have fun?” A woman asked. The woman was abnormally beautiful, with long hair as black as the night, and silver eyes that seemed like they could burn holes through a wall, and enchant any human. The woman stared at the blond haired demon lord, who was casually watching as a shaggy-haired young man tried to sprint back home in the rain, while also trying to figure out just where in Tokyo he had ended up.

“Do not patronize me, Lilith.” Lucifer said, calmly, di-colored eyes turning behind him slowly. “Lowering myself to humanity’s level is irksome. But that boy does pique my interest.”

“Gomory will succeed, one way or another.” Lilith said, calmly. “That is the nature of such a powerful clairvoyant. Reality will collapse. The stench of the Outer Gods already permeates this reality. Letting it simply collapse and better preparing the next would be best.”

“I am aware.”

“Then what use is it to intervene during the preamble? The Tower of Babel will fall, yes, but that doesn’t mean--”

“That’s enough.” Lucifer said, his voice a chilling monotone. Lilith quickly quieted down, although there was still clear doubt in her eyes. She looked away sheepishly, as Lucifer’s eyes narrowed, the shining blue one glinting with an unknown wisdom. 

“Killing a strong clairvoyant such as Gomory, and a Lost Persona User such as that ‘Lavinia’ will prove as ample training, no?” Lucifer turned around, a small smile brimming with knowing, enough to send chills through the demoness’ ice cold body.

“...They wished for a world of uncertainty and chaos. They believe that they have pursued the ‘true path’. Let’s see how long they can cling to that desire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was more of a expository chapter because this was a really busy week for me. Lots of demon-theory and SMT/Persona headcanons. Also I came to the conclusion that this will definitely end up being a 2-fic installment. Maybe 3. This was always supposed to be a 'Dark Sun Epilogue-Bridge Story' more than a 'sequel', because I haven't really touched on any of the big follow-up questions from Dark Sun.
> 
> And by that I mean cute TatsuJun, more Megami Ibunroku/Eternal Punishment cast, 'did those alternate endings have any meaning outside of being for fun?' and et cetera.
> 
> But I get to write Teddie and Nanako, which is more important than any of those things combined.
> 
> Right?
> 
> _...Right?_


	16. The Voice of a Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sneak peek into the Protagonist Group Chat. Ren briefly wonders about the nature of Persona users, and gets a phone call that he thought he'd never receive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a text-format heavy chapter. There's no reason. Definitely not because they're a bit easier to write. Not at all.

* * *

>   
> **Usagi-Sensei:** Chandraputra… that wasn’t a name I was expecting to hear. Like, at all.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** ditto.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** You two know him?  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** kadath mandala.  
>  **NaruKingpin:** ...Don’t remind me...  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** This feeling… I think it is called ‘trauma’...  
>  **Naorin:** Currently vomiting, be right back.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** It wasn’t that bad!  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Okay, it was, but let’s focus. Ren-kun, are you sure that’s who Lucifer mentioned?  
> 

* * *

Ren’s first instinct after encountering Lucifer was to get some more sleep, and then message the others about this. After all, Lucifer had offered up the information, and getting the perspective of Persona-users more experienced than him would be for the best. That being said, he was a little surprised when Maya and Tatsuya seemed to recognize the name. There was a bit of a hitch by not being able to actually hear their voices or see their expressions- he had gotten pretty good at reading people over time, and an expression gave him a lot more information than a text, but luckily Maya was pretty expressive over messages as well. Tatsuya… not so much.

* * *

>   
> **Kaitou-Kun:** I’m sure.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Who is he? I could search the Kirijo Groups files for further information.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** won’t find him.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Are you sure?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Chandraputra… Randolph Carter... is a Persona-user from before our time. Powerful too. The amount of Resonance he put out was way more than what any of us were capable of. He held something called the… silver card?  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** key.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Silver key, right! It basically lets the wielder travel throughout the Collective Unconsciousness. Maybe even further. He was strong enough that Nyarly got worried, and tried to nerf him by putting him in the body of a demon.  
> 

* * *

Resonance. It was essentially the essence of the soul- the feeling of something unnatural, almost like a sixth sense. It helped Persona-users identify other Persona-users- with practice Ren was able to pick out the unique wavelengths of his friends- and it could also identify the presence of Shadows and Demons. When he had first met Maya and Katsuya, their Resonance had been off the charts even when they were holding back their power, to the point where he was immediately wary. Lucifer was better at concealing his Resonance until he got close, and it became overwhelming. Ren could even guess that the sinking, dreaded feeling he had when interacting with the ‘fake Igor’ a few years ago was probably just him unconsciously responding to the God of Control’s overwhelming power.

All of this to say that Maya, who was much more adept at picking up the Resonance of others, was probably telling the truth when speaking about Chandraputra's power.

Maya probably realized that his question was serious too, since she wasn’t joking around like usual. She could be pretty silly at times, but not when it came to the safety of the world. She was a veteran. Someone who had beaten down more Shadows than Ren could imagine, and still managed to push on. On the Other Side, when they were desperately trying to escape Nyarlathotep, he remembered her expression when she fired that last arrow with Katsuya. She was smiling, sure, but her eyes were cold. There was genuine intent to kill. To completely and utterly destroy- and she did. Nyarlathotep was effectively immortal, but after binding himself to Lucifer, it just gave him a body to be temporarily destroyed. Amano Maya could be a truly frightening woman. But… not just her. Did he have the same look in his eyes when he went to destroy Yaldabaoth?

Thinking about that just brought up another thing that was bugging him. 

Lucifer said that they were ‘gifted’. Chosen to fight for humanity’s sake. The wording in and of itself was nice, but the content of the message was less so. 

He was a weapon. They were weapons. They had Personas because they were given Personas- they could have overcome their inner demons by normal means- but forces outside of their control specifically decided to hand them power far beyond human reach. 

Was it a system? Gods and demons picked humans- preferably humans with righteous hearts- and gave them power to fight monsters outside of the bounds of humanity’s normal capabilities. He remembered that the only reason he and his friends had their powers was because of a game. A game between Igor and the God of Control. He ran around the Metaverse, but he and the others were kept on a tight leash. Based on what he gleaned from Maya and Tatsuya, an entire timeline had been rendered moot due to the rules of the ‘game’ between Philemon and Nyarlathotep going more haywire than expected. So, the next couple of ‘games’ between gods were set in tight arenas. Aigis spoke of the ‘Dark Hour’, Yu talked about the ‘Midnight Channel’, and Ren knew the ‘Metaverse’ all too well.

Even in the ‘Ground Zero’ event, they had been virtually confined to the Kirijo Building and surrounding area, and then later the abandoned wasteland of the Other Side. And now, they were literally confined to fighting inside just Tokyo- just that stupid Tower.

...What would happen if that leash broke? If they were able to spread their wings a bit more? Calamity, most likely. The thought wasn’t an exaggeration, nor a dramatization. It just made sense. If Ren wanted to, he could probably level a city block with one spell. Potentially more. It just made sense. If Maya wanted to, she could probably turn Tokyo to ash if given enough time. He thoroughly remembered Aigis on the Other Side, slaughtering hundreds- if not thousands of demons that lived in the deteriorated city- to the point where even a partially mentally manipulated Ren felt sick enough to fight her in order to make her stop. And those were demons. Creatures that were naturally much, much more resistant than people.

Of course they wouldn’t, it wasn’t in their nature. Maya would never hurt innocent people, Aigis was a firm protector of humanity, and the just the thought of mortally wounding another person made Ren feel more than a bit queasy. but Akechi had slaughtered hundreds. Directly and indirectly. He was part of a conspiracy that caused mass paranoia. And that was him trying to be discreet. 

He narrowed his eyes. He was doing a lot of speculating, and he wasn’t exactly sure where it was leading to. 

_’How would you feel if you were moments away from the perfect ending, and yet you made one wrong choice that ruined everything?’_

Right.

...What did that mean? Was it referring to him and the others- did they somehow make the wrong choice? Or, with Lucifer’s vague talk of ‘timelines’- did another him make the wrong choice? How did that tie into Gomory?

...And that wasn’t even considering how the ‘Silver Key’ played into things- if it was even relevant at all.

He let out an irritated sigh, before his phone buzzed again.

* * *

>   
> **SUOUTATSUYA:** so about that ban on ren fighting?  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Never heard of it.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I am aware, yes.  
>  **Naorin:** We were just talking about it yesterday, so yeah.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Boooo.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** now that i have officially arrived in sumaru city and i am helping out big sis  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** ...we are adding maya to the ban list effective immediately  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** she should have been on the list a few months ago if im going to be honest.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** ...So about Chandraputra? Let’s talk about that instead!  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Why, Suou-san?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** It’s really really really nothing, Narukami-kun! (´• ω •`)ﾉ  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** .  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** uweeeh~~~ {{ (>_<) }} Tacchan is giving me a really scary look. But I don’t want to spoil the surprise…  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** maya...  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** All around me are familiar faces… ▓▒░(°◡°)░▒▓  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Amano-san… what is going on?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Et tu, Aigis-chan?! ＼(º □ º l|l)/  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Grrr ...fine! Mister Suou Katsuya-san is expecting a baby!  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** DON’T WORD IT LIKE IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!  
>  **Naorin:** Woah.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** The mother is an unknown woman. We will never discern her true identity. A scandal? Does Sumaru’s best police officer reproduce asexually? Was it aliens? Find out more at 9.  
>  **Naorin:** So, just to make sure I’m reading past Amano-san’s bullshit...  
>  **NaruKingpin:** ...Amano-san is…  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** PREGNANT?  
> 

* * *

...Huh? Huh?

When was he supposed to learn this? It was true that they hadn’t met up in a long while, but that seems like something you bring up pretty quickly, right? Not something that has to be dragged out secondhand by someone who just happened to catch you--

Didn’t she say she was fighting demons before?

“Whaaaaat the hell.” Ren exhaled, staring daggers at his phone.

* * *

>   
> **Usagi-Sensei:** Ehehehe… Surprise…! (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** ...Maybe this is just me, but I’m feeling an unprecedented amount of danger coming from this chatroom right now…  
>  **Naorin:** Good.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Listen, listen! There’s a perfectly good explanation of why I didn’t say anything earlier!  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Congratulations, Amano-san! Or perhaps I should just thank Suou-san for even alerting us of this?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Such passive-aggressiveness… you’re better than that Narukami-kun, did something happen?  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** What a truly momentous occasion! I am so glad we had to pry this wonderful news out of you!  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Should we get you a baby shower gift, or did we miss it already?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** However it’s very on-brand for you two. Still hurts, though.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Ahaha, silly Ren-kun. I am sure our invites just got lost in the mail.  
>  **Kaitou-kun:** Of course, of course! You’re absolutely right, Aigis-chan. Ahahaha.  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Of course, this is all one big misunderstanding. Ahahahahahaha.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** (╥_╥)  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Ah ...So this is how Jesus felt on the cross… o(〒﹏〒)o  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** not in the slightest. and even less funny considering your connection to Longinus.  
>  **Naorin:** Didn’t you say you were going to explain?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Okay, so you know how over the past couple months I’ve been sharing pictures of weird food?  
>  **NaruKingpin:** This is already a bad start.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** So… the first kanji of each food item once I was done was going to spell out ‘MAYA AND KATSUYA ARE HAVING A SUPER COOL LITTLE BABY EXTRAVAGANZA’.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Awful.  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Terrible.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Blocked.  
>  **Naorin:** What a shitty idea.   
> **A.I.G.I.S:** ...Going through the chatlogs, I have spotted a few… um. How should I put this?  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Either you posted the pictures in the wrong order, or you’re misspelling and misusing the kanji to simple words.  
>  **Naorin:** Aren’t you a professional journalist?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** ...  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Ah… so this is how Amakusa Shirou felt when he was executed by the shogunate… o(〒﹏〒)o  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** what? obviously not.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** It’s bad to harass a pregnant woman!  
>  **Naorin:** NOW you’re going to pull the ‘pregnant’ card?? You really are shameless, Amano Maya.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Uwaaah… ｡･ﾟ(ﾟ><ﾟ)ﾟ･｡  
> 

* * *

They really were all happy for her. Maya just had the bad habit of doing whatever she wanted, when she wanted, so sometimes they just needed to be a bit harsh. Still, once this whole mess was over, Ren and the others would probably just take the first train they could to Sumaru as long as there was time left in their break, just to celebrate for a bit.

* * *

>   
> **Naorin:** Name the baby after me and I’ll forgive you.  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Name the baby after me and I’ll buy you some Sapporo Ichiban.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Flavor? (◕‿◕)  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Chicken.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** I can get you shrimp.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Ren is a beautiful name for a baby, I think. ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶  
>  **Naorin:** You did NOT just get won over by cup ramen.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Whine more, boomer.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I believe Gramps is getting cranky.  
>  **Naorin:** When did teenagers get so mean?  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** this is fun and all but i dont think we really answered rens question.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Well, we don’t know much about Chaddy outside of the fact that he’s really strong.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** No, you guys helped out a lot. Thank you.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** No problem. Mama is always here to help you out!  
>  **Naorin:** ’Mama’?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** I’ve become everyone’s mom now. I’ve decreed it. Think of it as practice for the baby.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** I prefer Amano-san over my real mom anyway.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** … how curious… a Persona-user that we’ve never heard of, and yet they’re that powerful…  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** finally someone being productive.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Aigis is going full think-bot mode.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Do not blame me for actually having a brain, Ren-san.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I’m just finding it curious that after approximately 1990, the number of active Persona-users exponentially increased. It isn’t as if the Kirijo Group nor the Nanjo Group didn’t attempt to search for Persona-users prior to that time period.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Hm. Maybe we triggered something when we awakened? The ‘Persona Game’ was just an urban legend- it was never actually supposed to do anything.   
> **Kaitou-Kun:** Fate and chance… Everyone has the ‘potential’, but fate just decides who’s lucky enough to have the chance at pulling it off. Teddie-san said that.  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Teddie did? Well, he can be a bit airheaded, but it isn’t like he’s incapable of pulling out important information when it’s necessary. It might just be part of his role as a Shadow. He might have the right instincts regarding everything.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Morgana is the same way, so I get that.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** ...Hey, when you guys are fighting real big Shadows, does it kind of feel like you get tunnel-vision? Like, all of the sudden your only purpose is just to ‘kill the big guy’?  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Shadows are beings that aren’t supposed to exist within our world. Eliminating them is simply common sense, I would think.  
> 

* * *

Ren sighed. Of course Aigis would answer like that. It wasn’t her fault of course- as human as she seemed, she still had a duty to destroy Shadows at the end of the day. He waited a moment for any of the others to come up with a response.

* * *

>   
> **Naorin:** It’s been a while, but I think so. When I awakened Atem… it was kind of an ‘out-of-body’ experience. I didn’t think, I just ‘did’. And… apparently that was enough to completely destroy Khaos. When it came to Nyx, I was just focused on winning and saving my teacher- and I don’t think I thought much about fighting Pandora.  
>  **NaruKingpin:** I didn’t feel that way when fighting Kusumi-no-Okami, but that was because I was fighting a close friend who was hurting. Adachi and Izanami… I guess ‘tunnel vision’ might make sense. It was more of a feeling that if I lost, more people would get hurt, so I had to fight my hardest to win.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** It’s weird, I think.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** What is, Amano-san?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Demons and Shadows are just like us. They have hearts and feelings- they can laugh and cry, get angry and get frightened… but it’s a weird feeling. When I’m fighting a really strong demon, it’s like I forget about that. Reasoning with them suddenly seems like an impossible option, and I really only feel like my only choice is to destroy it.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Right.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** I had a weird experience last night.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** you found yourself out slaughtering demons just by pure instinct?  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** I was out-  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Mhm.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** yeah. thats how i felt for the decade and a half before i came here. you dont feel like a human anymore- just a tool to destroy demons. your brain and your persona carves them up, like if you hit a certain threshold you suddenly atone or something. itd be a pain to get into all of it now, but if you wanna talk more, just call.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Huh? Really?  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Sorry. Thank you, Suou-san.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** don’t worry about it.  
> 

* * *

That was a bit of an unexpected response. It wasn’t like Tatsuya was unfriendly, but he didn’t exactly put himself out there either. Then again… Tatsuya and Maya were the only ones with direct experience with Nyarlathotep, and Tatsuya seemed… well, a lot more tortured about it than Maya did. Of course, Ren never asked. Asking someone to divulge their personal traumas seemed like a dickish thing to do, but it wouldn’t hurt to give Tatsuya a call later on and just… talk for once.

* * *

>   
> **Naorin:** Speaking of- aren’t you in the middle of a fight right now?  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Killed them all.  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** we destroyed this wave. we have a break.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Hey, aren’t you two a bit too strong?  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** You’re one to talk.  
>  **NaruKingpin:** I feel like we had a similar conversation when we were on that platform heading to Gaia.  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** LOL Yuuki-kun was the strongest out of everyone!! (((o(*°▽°*)o)))  
>  **Naorin:** He really was something else, huh?  
>  **NaruKingpin:** I wish I could have seen him fight more…  
> 

* * *

A minute passed. This usually happened when someone brought up Yuuki Makoto. It was a short time that they knew one another- really short, to be perfectly honest, but that just made thinking about him worse. It was like meeting someone who had the potential to be a really good friend, and all of the sudden they ended up leaving before you had the chance to really get to know them.

...Actually, now that Ren thought about it, that was exactly what happened.

* * *

>   
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** Sorry for bringing down the mood, everyone! But Yuuki-kun would get annoyed if he knew that just mentioning him was enough to make us sad! We have to think positive!  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Of course. He would say something like ‘Why are you all upset when I’m the one who’s dead? Unbelievable. Get over yourselves.’   
> **Naorin:** I can actually imagine it. Christ, that kid is a piece of work. No sense of sensitivity, really.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** What he lacked in general tact and basic social graces, he made up in heart.   
> **SUOUTATSUYA:** youre a strong kid, aigis. takes guts to move on after losing a love like that.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I wouldn’t say ‘love’... I mean, I certainly loved him, but he loved a lot of people. I suppose it depends on what you mean by love, really. After all, Makoto was in a relationship with Yukari-san, so something like ‘Love’ wouldn’t apply. It was just ‘love’, not ‘Love’.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** She’s still got it bad.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I believe the phrase Junpei told me to use in these situations is ‘shut your damn mouth’.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Still, speaking of making new friends...  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Nobody said anything remotely like that.
> 
>  _~~ [Amamiya Ren] (Kaitou-kun) invited [Akechi Goro] to Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** wait whats going on?
> 
>  _~~ [Akechi Goro] left Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** Ren, who is that?
> 
>  _~~ [Amamiya Ren] (Kaitou-kun) invited [Akechi Goro] to Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  _~~ [Akechi Goro] left Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Hang on, I got this.  
>  **Naorin:** Got what, exactly?
> 
>  _~~ [Amamiya Ren] (Kaitou-kun) invited [Akechi Goro] to Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  _~~ [Akechi Goro] left Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  _~~ [Amamiya Ren] (Kaitou-kun) invited [Akechi Goro] to Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  _~~ [Akechi Goro] left Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  _~~ [Amamiya Ren] (Kaitou-kun) invited [Akechi Goro] to Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  _~~ [Akechi Goro] left Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** I think Ren-kun’s trying out a comedy routine…  
>  **NaruKingpin:** Huh.
> 
>  _~~ [Amamiya Ren] (Kaitou-kun) invited [Akechi Goro] to Chatroom [☆*:.｡.Gaia Busters.｡.:*☆] ~~_
> 
>  **Akechi Goro:** Can you STOP?  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** No.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Anyways, this is Akechi. Former Detective Prince, supposed to be dead, killed more than a few people and worked with the Shido conspiracy. He’s a Wild Card, and also is in desperate need for positive social interaction. I’ll leave him in your care. Let’s all get along!  
>  **Naorin:** I think that’s the longest thing Ren’s posted in this chat.  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** ...Shouldn’t we be reporting him to the police?  
>  **Akechi Goro:** Frankly yes. This is a poor idea in more than one way, and I’m surprised that Amamiya didn’t consider the potential consequences. I will apologize on the behalf of his poor decisions, and will shortly take my leave. After which, I’ll promptly ask Amamiya how he got this number, since I am certain I changed it once I procured a new phone.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** I broke into your phone while we were getting kicked out of the bathhouse due to our naked bear wrestling session.  
>  **Akechi Goro:** ...Well, I suppose I shouldn’t expect less from the ‘Phantom Thief’, but please mind your wording, Amamiya.  
>  **Naorin:** Huh?  
>  **NaruKingpin:** I’m guessing Teddie did something.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Remember the soba noodles?  
>  **NaruKingpin:** I see.  
>  **Naorin:** HUH?  
> 

* * *

Was this a bad idea? Probably, but despite their differences, Akechi needed to get in touch with people who were more like him. He didn’t really consider Akechi a ‘friend’ anymore- they had gotten way to estranged for that, but it wasn’t like he enjoyed watching Akechi angst around either. So, despite the clear flaws in his plan, this seemed like the best course of action.

* * *

>   
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Anyways, I have to go. Please take care of him, everyone!  
>  **SUOUTATSUYA:** dont just dump him on us and leave!  
>  **Akechi Goro:** Amamiya, don’t you dare! I’m coming to find you right now. Tell me where you are.
> 
>  _~~ [Amano Maya] (Usagi-Sensei) changed [Akechi Goro]’s nickname to [Grumpy Goro]~~_
> 
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b  
>  **Grumpy Goro:** I see. This is your sick form of punishment isn’t it. And you called me the sadist before, hm? I swear, when I find you...  
>  **Usagi-Sensei:** We’ll talk to you later, Ren-kun! Buh-bye! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ  
>  **A.I.G.I.S:** I still have my concerns, but I’ll leave them be for the time being purely because I trust your judgement. Remember, Ren-san. No fighting.  
>  **Grumpy Goro:** Oh, he is most CERTAINLY going to be fighting when I get my hands on him!  
>  **Naorin:** Heh.  
>  **Kaitou-Kun:** Bye Mama-Maya! (￣▽￣)ノ  
> 

* * *

He pocketed his phone, looking around the shopping district he was standing in. Most of the stores had closed down due to the current situation, but a few were open. Mainly convenience stores, and businesses that were a bit too stubborn and didn’t actually believe anything was happen. The thing was, he actually did have plans. After all, Futaba- or… he supposed they started calling the other Futaba ‘Ichi’- had asked to hang out later on. So, he just decided to carve out some time to do so. After all, he wasn’t planning on fighting in the tower next, and he needed to give his body some rest. So, why not have some R&R with Futaba?

...That, and he was really curious about just what Ichi-chan was.

He had assumed she was a normal person beforehand, and Lavinia was just the result of her Persona forcefully splitting itself away from Futaba, but he had his doubts. First of all, if Al-Azif really had the sort of willpower to do such a thing, why would it split off? Arsene had less willpower, and yet was able to overtake Ren’s body for a significant portion of the night to kill Shoggoths. That, and...

“Ah, Amamiya-san! There you are!” 

He looked over, watching as Ichi ran over to him with a wave. She wore a black tank top with some video game character emblazoned on the front and some baggy-looking jeans. While it was definitely something Futaba would wear, it didn’t seem fitting for her at all. That was one of the other things that had Ren on edge. Her personality was drastically different from Futaba’s. Sure, they had hardly interacted, but the fact that she wanted to hang out in a public place and talk rather than holing themselves up in a dark room and play video games while watching anime on a separate screen was a much bigger deal than one would think. 

There was that saying: ‘If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and moves like a duck, then it’s probably a duck’. That sort of reasoning didn’t seem to apply with her. Ichi looked like Futaba, had the same voice as Futaba, but didn’t seem like Futaba in the slightest. And even still, that wasn’t the biggest thing that Ren was worried about.

“...Sorry I’m late…!”

“It’s no problem.” Ren said casually. She caught up to him, catching her breath. 

“I was trying to figure out what to wear… Mom suggested some things, but it ended up taking longer than I thought.” She bowed deeply, before standing up straight. “Um, Amamiya-san? Did I say something weird?”

He realized he was making a face. Well- of course he was. Isshiki Wakaba was long dead. Morgana had briefly mentioned that she didn’t seem to understand that Wakaba was dead, but right now she just stated that she had a conversation with Famously Deceased Isshiki Wakaba. Present tense. Which should be impossible, by all means.

“...Sorry, it’s nothing.”

The third thing that had Ren on his toes was her Resonance. He had made it a point to figure out the different wavelengths of each of his friends, and Ichi definitely didn’t have Futaba’s resonance. She actually didn’t seem to produce anything like it most of the time, which was what lead Ren to assume that she was pretty much normal.

Of course, the key part of the statement was ‘most of the time’. Still, something had happened when he mentioned Akechi to her. 

She had basically lit up like a christmas tree as far as power went. Her expression at the mere mention of Akechi’s name was terrifying, to say the least. It was a look of anger, or disgust, or madness. It was hatred, in the purest, coldest sense. The look of hatred that meant that the second she came face-to-face with the real Akechi- no matter how much she claimed not to remember him- they would most likely start fighting, and she’d be fighting to kill. That’s what his instincts were telling him at the very least.

...Which is why he definitely wasn’t going to tell Akechi where he was now, because he didn’t want any sort of confrontation. 

Still…

He pulled out his phone, wanting to test something out. He pulled up a picture of Akechi from one of his press events. “Hey, Futaba. Did you hear about the latest Detective Prince--” He found himself stiffening slightly as the tension in the air seemed to harden. “Loo--” He barely turned the phone toward her, before…

_Clack._

It landed about ten feet away from him. He didn’t even see her smack it out of his hands, it just… happened. Immediately. Far too quickly for his comfort. The tension in the air seemed to drop, as Ichi sighed.

“Hey, hey. Speaking of, Mom wanted to talk to you? She said she’d call you once we got together.” She said, saying something completely insane as Ren jogged away to pick up his phone. He walked back, looking at his phone.

“...She wants to talk to me?” If this really was Wakaba, maybe she was upset that he was looking into her memories? Or maybe she was just calling to give him some helpful information. 

Or it was none of those things, because Isshiki Wakaba was dead, for real. So, there was no way she’d actually--

_Bzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzzt._

Before he could think further on the subject, his phone began to vibrate. A number showed up. It was… well, it didn’t seem like a Japanese phone number. Or an American one. Not Canadian, or frankly any sort of realistic phone number. Just a jumble of numbers. He looked at Ichi, and then at the phone, and answered.

“Um… hello? Amamiya Ren, speaking.” He said, quietly. There was a long beat of silence, him hearing nothing but radio static, before someone responded.

He really wished he had hung up beforehand.

_”You’re being awfully formal, aren’t you Amamiya? Don’t worry, I won’t interrupt you for too long.”_

A voice. A voice that, over the past two nights he had gotten intimately familiar with. The voice of someone who had been dead and buried.

“What…? But you--”

 _”Ahaha,”_ The voice of Isshiki Wakaba laughed dryly, _”You’re so nervous. Don’t worry, though. This absolutely won’t be a waste of your time. So just sit back, and we’ll have a nice chat, okay?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot how much I missed writing Maya until I wrote this chapter...


	17. Words of the Herald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouji and Rei get a message. A demon is summoned. Morgana gets a headpat.

“...So, what? The plan is just to sit back and wait?” Kyouji clicked his tongue. “We could at least be out killing demons to reduce the number of potential casualties.”

Rei and Kyouji had decided to wait in LeBlanc for the time being. Ren had practically hurried out of the small cafe after waking up, and Morgana had mentioned something about the teenager heading out late at night, and then coming back practically drenched in rainwater and sweat. Neither of them decided to comment on it, Kyouji deciding that it wasn’t his problem and Rei just not wanting to pry into Ren’s situation. 

“Unfortunately, our movements are still pretty restricted.” Rei replied, folding her arms. “...Observation and direct attacks only, outside of that we can’t waste our time.” 

“I’d say sitting around and waiting is ‘wasting time’.” Kyouji replied curtly, drawing his sword. He ran his fingers along the side of the blade, eyes narrowing. “Our duty as Devil Summoners is to kill demons, Rei. Observing and waiting isn’t in the job description. 

Rei glanced at him with a sigh. “You seemed to be fine enough sitting around and observing Sumaru and allowing Uchida to act in your stead.”

Kyouji frowned. The situation in Sumaru City was dire as well, but the body he was using then wasn’t exactly fit for combat. While a Devil Summoner made use of demons, having good physical condition was a key component as well, and… well, Todoroki Daisuke didn’t exactly have the most fit body. It was one of those situations where he had to give up his physical activity for the sake of the connections that the body provided. “...Maybe it’s this body then. I’m trying to restrain myself, but… I dunno, it feels like when I was younger, when I just had that strong sense of ‘justice’. This woman, Niijima… she’s got a stronger sense of self than the others I possessed.”

“Those kids mentioned her having a Persona. Maybe that antsy feeling is her innate desire to help out these Phantom Thieves. You did cave in pretty early to join up with them.” Rei nodded. “...It wasn’t like I was opposed, but we weren’t exactly supposed to make direct contact.”

“Right, right. My bad.” He waved a hand idly, before standing up. “Well, considering we already broke one rule, I say we go out and kill some of those Shoggoths. I’ve been itching for a chance to use Yououhaken, and my demons are getting excited as well.”

 _”I wouldn’t advise that. You have been given direct orders.”_ A woman’s voice spoke up. Neither Kyouji or Rei seemed surprised, the two of them turning their gaze to the back of the cafe, where a woman draped in dark robes stood in the shadows. There had been no indication of her arriving, or even an explanation of how she appeared, due to the barrier.

“Oh, one of the Yatagarasu mouthpie-- ggh--!” Kyouji was promptly quieted by a sharp rib to his elbow, as Rei gave him a dark look. She stood up, bowing in front of the woman.

“It’s an honor to be in your presence, Great Herald.” She said, politely. 

The Herald of the Yatagarasu. Their nature was shrouded in mystery, and they seemed to serve as one of the greater linchpins between humans and demons, representing the great bird that heralded the divine word of both heaven and hell. For centuries they worked closely with the Kuzunoha clan, giving them orders and providing them with information and access to areas that would normally be locked away from humanity. Even the progenitors of the Kuzunoha Clan ultimately listened to the words of the Heralds before anything else, and one wasn’t exactly sure how a Herald manifested. There were doubts about these mysterious people even being human in the first place, despite their appearance. Perhaps the same few had been the ones guiding the clan for centuries, or perhaps they simply had their own method of picking successors similar to the Kuzunoha Clan.

In other words, ‘boss’ would be too much of an understatement.

 _”Reiho Rei. Kuzunoha of the Kyouji Branch. I have simply arrived with a missive.”_ The Herald raised one cloaked arm, revealing a very old-fashioned scroll. She set it down on the counter. Her eyes, despite being completely covered by a black hood, seemed to be burning into the two of them. _”The word between demons has deemed this situation as worthless to rectify. Therefore, we are dispatching the Twentieth to perform ‘Gehenna’.”_

Kyouji’s eyes narrowed. “That seems a bit out of left field, lady. What demons are saying that?”

_”You are the summoner. You should remain in constant conversation with your demons.”_

Rei raised an eyebrow. “And by the Twentieth, you mean…?”

_”Correct. The Twentieth Kuzunoha of the Raidou Branch. This missive will give you the related information on how to leave this barrier. Only you two. Losing two valuable Kuzunoha would be a waste.”_

“Hey, hey- hold up. You’re just asking us to leave everyone to die here? Tokyo is a major city, you know!” Kyouji marched over to the robed woman, grabbing one of the black shawls draped around her shoulder and lifting her up. “You pop in, say ‘everyone’s going to die’, and then expect us to just leave? Especially leaving it in the hands of that freak kid? Isn’t this super sudden? What the hell is your problem?!”

“Kyouji…!” Rei hissed. “Calm down!”

“Besides, aren’t you only supposed to really boss around the Raidou branch? The hell gives you the right to tell Rei and I what to do?”

 _”The population of Tokyo will be killed regardless. The strength of the ‘Gehenna’ ritual will be enough to break the barrier surrounding the city, and allow those who are lucky a chance to escape. Unfortunately, Kyouji of the Kuzunoha, that is our only option. It would do you well to follow the instructions given.”_ And with that, she seemed to fade into nothing but shadows, his hands gripping on to nothingness. 

“...This sucks.” Kyouji growled.

“Right.” Rei walked over to the scroll, unfolding it. “And she’s telling the truth. The range of this spell could only fit two people with guaranteed success. Maybe up to four with a heightened chance of failure...And as far as onmyoudou goes, it was specifically designed that way.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“We stay, obviously. But I’d like to keep the spell on me as life insurance. Teleportation with Traesto can only take us so far.”

Kyouji smirked, before looking behind him. “That sound alright to you, cat?”

Morgana yawned, stretching on the windowsill of the cafe. He had been sleeping, but considering the amount of talking that was going on, he had just resigned himself to ‘passively listening’ and realized that he probably wouldn’t be getting a good nap in. “...It’s Morgana, and sure. The more help we have, the better.” He stood up, arching his back and stretching, before turning to the two Kuzunoha. “But if you don’t mind, I do have some questions.”

“We most likely have some answers.” Rei replied, sitting back down at the counter.

“First of all, you were sent here to observe us?”

Kyouji nodded. “Kind of. ‘Observe the Phantom Thieves’ was more of a side role, we were mostly just exploring the weird murders that were happening. Which I think we can solidly blame on the Shoggoths.”

Morgana nodded. “Right, and next… what’s this about ‘Gehenna’?”

“It’s just a term. It’s hardly an official ritual, but when things get so far out of hand that the only real answer is to clean the slate, then that’s Gehenna. It’s a last-resort technique that sacrifices many for the good of Japan as a whole. Basically, the chosen summoner calls forth a demon capable of that amount of destruction, and tries to wipe the whole area devoid of life with one massive spell. While the civilian deaths are massive, the demons are also wiped out. After that, it’s just media and mind manipulation to lessen the consequences.” Rei explained. “This time they chose the Twentieth of the Raidou Branch.”

“Probably because that Herald knew we’d either hesitate or refuse. My demons are definitely capable of it, but there’s no way I’d kill so many people like that.

Morgana’s brow furrowed. “And this… Kuzunoha Raidou is capable of mass-killing on that scale?”

Kyouji nodded. “Kuzunoha Raidou the XL. I haven’t met the kid personally, but I’ve heard things about them. They’re the definition of loyal to the Yatagarasu and the ancestors to the Clan. Rei and I are from minor branches in the family, so we have a relative degree of freedom when it comes to these sorts of situations, but a kid like them…”

Rei looked downcast. “If I remember correctly, I believe that they’re around the same age as your friends. That’s all I can really tell you about them as a person, though. The Raidou Branch, despite being one of the founding four branches, has had a history of rebellion and breaking sacred clan law. It started with the first Raidou, who broke a sacred unifying law. Then, after several generations without trouble, the fourteenth must have done something to anger the clan as well, because all of the generations after that seemed to be almost mindlessly loyal to the clan.”

“Not to say that they’re bad people. Word is that the Kuzunoha Raidou the XIV was one of the best Devil Summoners in the history of the clan. He just played a bit too fast and loose for the clan's liking. If he was from a minor branch like us, then maybe they’d let it fly a bit more, but unfortunately someone from the four progenitor clans has to follow a strict set of rules.”

“Right,” Rei agreed, “Hey, Kyouji. Maybe your demons can fill us in a bit more? The Herald said that the demons were basically calling this situation a lost cause, right?”

With a nod, Kyouji pulled out his COMP. It looked like a small, wrist-mounted computer terminal, that lit up as Kyouji inputted some data. With a flash, a beam of light shot from the small device, the form of a being beginning to manifest in the world. It first began a series of green, three-dimensional wireframe mesh, before solidifying more and more, details being added as if it were a model in a game being rendered with more and more pixels, polygons, and details. The process was short, yet incredibly encapsulating as a young-looking woman fully manifested itself in the physical world. Her body was covered in a fine white fur, outside of her brightly colored hair. She had shining yellow eyes with dark, slit pupils, and a glittering silver bell was tied around her neck.

 _”Mew called, Summonyer?”_ The cat-like demon purred. 

“This is Nekomata.” Kyouji explained. “She was my demon rumormonger when I worked in Sumaru City. She’s got the combat abilities of an untrained office worker, but when it comes to gathering intel, she’s the best of the best.”

Nekomata laughed humorlessly. _”Haha, love mew too, you old shithead. Nyice body, though. Although it sucks for the woman nyou hijacked.”_ The demon looked around, _”No Tamaki this time around, nya? Shame, I would have wanted to be partnered with her instead…”_

“Um, nice to meet you. I’m Morgana.” The cat said, tentatively. Nekomata looked at him, eyes narrowing for a short moment, before she smiled.

_”Oh, I totally remember mew! Nyour friend with the shaggy hair and the mask summoned me before. No need to be so formal, nya. Besides, we’re both cat-type demons, right? Mew and I should stick together and help each other out, nyaa.”_

“Hey, Nekomata.” Kyouji called, calmly.

_”Nyah?”_

“Morgana’s a cat and can talk normally. Would it kill you to do the same?”

There was a long beat of silence, before the demon sighed, giving Kyouji a hard look before sighing.

 _”I’ve heeded thine blasphemous call, O’ Honoured Summoner. What manner of unholy deeds shall this humble demon enact upon thy name today? Shall I cast thy enemies into the eternal darkness of Yomi? Does thou wish for the ‘latest goss’ of mine sacreligious brethren? Tell me quickly, as my body is naught more than a tool for thou to use, yet if you dawdle then I will, like, totally consider the logistics of our contact.”_ She said, her gentle voice practically drowning in deadpan sarcasm. _”Better?”_

“You lost your character a bit at the end.”

_”Screw you.”_

Rei chuckled. “I apologize for Kyouji, Nekomata. We were wondering if you had any information on the current situation. We heard that this situation is basically a lost cause, and the Yatagarasu is sending in a Raidou to fix it, but having some more solid information would help us out a lot.”

The demon bit her lip, her long tail swaying behind her. _”Um, to be totally frank, you all are like, totally screwed?”_

“Oh.” Rei said, simply. “So it wasn’t a lie.”

_”I mean, this is kinda unprecedented. Normally Duke Gomory doesn’t like… do big moves like this. Oh, first of all, you’re up against Lord Gomory.”_

“So we are going against Goetic demons.” Kyouji mumbled.

_”Eeeh. Kinda? Mostly. Not all of them. Listen, Duke Gomory normally just sits on the sidelines and uses his clairvoyance to make sure Lord Lucifer doesn’t, like, accidentally blow up the planet or something, yanno? And he’s not super good at commanding armies either. That’s because Duke Gomory’s clairvoyance is so strong that he can actively see the histories- past, present and future- of like, every timeline at once. But, like, that’s a super big headache, so he just kind of chills out and lets other lesser demons handle things while he’s nursing the world’s biggest migraine.”_

“So, what? Outside of his clairvoyance, he doesn’t seem incredibly powerful.” Morgana said, calmly.

_”Clairvoyance from demons is an incredibly important skill. It normally belongs to Goetic demons that fell alongside Lord Lucifer out of Heaven. King Purson, Duke Vual, Lord Marbas, Duke Gomory, Pale King Paimon, et cetera… but honestly King Paimon and Duke Gomory were the only ones that had clairvoyance that was stronger than Lord Lucifer’s. So, like, when a person who doesn’t do anything for a long time but can see everything, suddenly decides to do something? That generally means that they’re sure they’re going to be successful.”_

It was a roundabout way of saying it, but it made enough sense. Gomory could see every outcome, but didn’t offer anything but periodical advice, then it seemed like a pretty big deal for a demon like that to take initiative. 

“Any idea for a motive?” Kyouji asked. “Or what that tower is? Also, I’m pretty sure I asked you to talk normally, and whatever you’re doing still isn’t--”

_”That tower is the Tower of Babel. Yanno, from the bible? It’s famously supposed to be far completed as a testament to like, ‘hey don’t fuck with ** ~~YHVH~~** or whatever.”_

“...’Or whatever’?” Rei echoed, skeptically.

_”I’m a yokai, you’d be better off asking a demon of a more... monotheistic background about this stuff. If you want a history lesson, call me when you want to hear about the Tenchi Kaibyaku or something. Anyways, it seems like a bunch of demons were trying to rebuild it? Mainly Paimon, which seems weird considering that he was like, the biggest suck-up to Lucifer. Anyways, this, like, went against both Lord Lucifer and the Big Guy Upstairs, so they had to contract the help of some other being.”_

“Another being?”

_”I dunno. Yok-Zothoth or something or other. One of those big Outer Gods that we’re not supposed to mess with. But enough about that, you mentioned that Raidou guy? Because I worked with the fourteenth during the Taishou period, and that guy was a stud, honestly. You know that sorta ‘je ne sais quoi’ that hot boys wearing dark clothes have. Kinda like that Phantom Thief guy. But he was professional too, so like that was even better, because then it became a challenge for some of us, yanno? Like I swear to ** ~~YHVH~~** , I saw a Lilim grind up against him and he didn’t even--”_

Kyouji snapped his fingers. “Nekomata.”

 _”Sorry, sorry.”_ The demon chuckled, waving her hands.

“Do you know anything about the twentieth?” Rei asked.

_”Ew. That little sociopath? I wish I didn’t.”_

“I think that answer says a lot. Still, you’re reliable as always, Nekomata. I just wish your reports were a bit more professional.” Kyouji sighed. “That being said, I think that’s enough for now. Besides, it’s looking like we have some company.” 

Kyouji, Sae, and Morgana looked over at the door to LeBlanc, as someone quietly opened it. 

“Lady Ann?!” Morgana yelled. It was her, at least in the flesh. She had changed out of her Panther costume, and was wearing more casual clothing. However, as bright and casual as her clothes were, her eyes were flat and emotionless.

The girl looked over at Morgana, tilting her head to the side slightly, before shaking her head. “Negative. Designated name: Demon Duke Vual. Current Host: Takamaki Ann. Previous actions: Decided to change out of restrictive Phantom Gear. Current goal: Looking for Amamiya Ren.” She said, her tone was stiff and robotic, incredibly reminiscent of Lavinia’s cold way of speaking. Morgana narrowed his eyes.

“So you’re another demon possessing our friends. Fine, we’ll just defeat you first!”

“Request: ‘Hang on a second, Mona’.” She said. Morgana hesitated, still glaring at the demon. For that part of the request, she had dropped the robotic part of her speech entirely, and sounded almost exactly like Ann. “Proposition: Conditions for winning or losing. Condition if Demon Duke Vual loses: All current information known about the Tower of Babel will be given to the victors. Conditions if current opposition loses: They will die peacefully, and Demon Duke Vual receives the spell gifted by the Yatagarasu.”

Rei narrowed her eyes. “So you’ve been eavesdropping since then.”

“Correct.” Vual replied, coldly. “Previous plan: Deceive Target-Morgana into divulging information. Plan deemed redundant and ineffective. Reasoning: Presence of Devil Summoners and Neutral-Aligned Demon Nekomata.”

 _”Ooh, so that’s why you changed clothes…”_ Nekomata purred. _”Still, it’s four on one! Maybe even worse odds, considering that Kyouji and Rei are hella powerful!”_

Vual blinked, tilting her head again. “Understood. Current dilemma: Odds are shifted out of Demon Duke Vual’s favor. Current solution: Even the odds.” With one smooth motion, she patted Morgana on the head.

“Mrrr… a headpat… from Lady Ann…? No, wait- what gives! You aren’t Lady Ann!” Morgana jumped back.

“...Why didn’t you try to avoid that beforehand…?” Kyouji asked, dumbfounded.

“It’s not my fault!” Morgana whined. “My body is personally trained not to avoid… Lady Ann’s… hey… I’m feeling kind of weird...” The cat began to sway back and forth, 

“Spell: Marin Karin. Status: Success. Odds: Evened.” The demon nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips before she snapped her fingers, several small fires sprouting out in the cafe. “Commencing combat. Nervous system, active. Mental barrier, down. Activating host Persona. Reverse Carmen: Trigger.”

The flames seemed to blaze brighter as Morgana began letting out an angered, pained howl as he turned on Rei and Kyouji. The two of them backed up further into the slowly burning cafe, as Kyouji readied his sword, and Rei pulled out a pair of nunchaku. The Nekomata stepped in front of the two of them, crouching into a battle stance.

 _”I’ll hold them back for a second, while you summon some stronger demons, got it?!”_ She yelled.

“Ready, Kyouji?” Rei said, magic beginning to spark from her weapon.

Kyouji nodded, a sadistic smirk beginning to form on his face.

“You know, this might be an evil thing to say… but I’ve really been looking forward to cutting some things up.”


	18. Tension Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren has the worst phone call of his life. ~~A voice that shouldn't exist cries.~~ Ren ends up even more confused, but with a goal.
> 
> More questions are added without clear answers. The endgame begins prematurely. The seams of reality are beginning to wear.

_”I’m bored.”_

That was the first thing that Wakaba had said to him after he had agreed to speak to her. Her tone was callous- overtly so, almost as if she was talking about a video game that had started to drag a bit.

“Stop, then.” Was his response.

There was a beat of silence, before she responded with a simple: _”No”_ , leading Ren to the understanding that he was going to be making absolutely no progress with her like this. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before asking the simplest question he could.

“Why are you doing this?”

_”What a boring thing to ask. You really are a cut-and-paste protagonist, aren’t you? I’m going to keep count of every time you say something trite and trope-y.”_

“Listen, I just want to know why. Innocent people are being killed-”

 _”Too small.”_ She interrupted, bluntly.

“Too… small?”

 _”Honestly, turning the Tower of Babel into a little fight arena was all Lavinia’s idea, but it’s too slow. Besides, you’d never make it to the top. It’s infinite. Once you got to a certain level, you’d be out of the atmosphere and into space, and then you’d die. But, regarding the ‘too small’ content, not enough people are dead.”_

Ren went silent. She had said it so casually, but that statement in itself was like a loaded gun. The idea that even with all of the killing and suffering going on- with the shoggoths and demons in the Tower slaughtering anyone who came close that couldn’t defend themselves, not enough people had passed on.

 _”This is when you say something like ‘Ghh- you monster’! Like a good little protagonist.”_ She said, breaking Ren’s silence. _”Ah, I see. You’re self-conscious now.”_

“How many people?”

_”Hm?”_

“How many people have to die?”

_”Oh, just everyone.”_

He felt his stomach drop. 

_”Ahaha, what a cute noise you just made, Amamiya. The sound of naivete slamming against a brick wall. If you’re confused, the term is genocide. Wait, no, ‘genocide’ is too pointed. That’d be if I wanted all of Japan dead. I want everyone. So the term would be ‘annihilation’. Complete and total eradication. I kind of want this planet to be nothing more than a blank wasteland.”_

She continued to speak calmly, where Ren could hardly restrain himself. A feeling was bubbling up in him. Fear? Anger? It was strange. He knew he’d be upset, but it was if he was finding himself too upset, like some part of him wanted to go feral and grab the speaker from across the phone’s soundwaves.

_”Lavinia chooses to waste my time, though. She always does.”_

Always does? His cool head returned to him for a moment. This wasn’t the first time this had happened? No, that wasn’t a question. This definitely happened before. He didn’t know how he was so certain of that, but...

_”Three days. She dragged it out three days this time with that silly idea for a battle-royale or tournament, or whatever it was. Using my precious Babel for such a thing. Really, really, what is a mother to do? Maybe I should punish her. That script carved into her flesh already hurts, but maybe...”_

“Don’t you touch her!” He yelled.

 _”That’s two.”_ The voice on the other end replied coolly. _”Really, really, how did you garner the favor of Lucifer? Well, it doesn’t matter. It never does. Speaking to you like this is pointless. The ending is already predetermined. If anything, these are spoilers.”_

“...Why? What’s your goal here? Why are you doing this?” He choked out. Just as quickly as his cool rationale had come back, it slipped from his grasp once again.

_”Do you know what M.A.D stands for? Mutually Assured Destruction. The Great Will is afraid of the illogical. Therefore, if the illogical is called forth, and the logical tries to destroy it, and in the process all things are destroyed. That’s all Yog-Sothoth is to me. A means to destroy a universe. Like tossing a match in a dry forest, even if the flames are extinguished, the disaster already occured.”_

“Why?” He repeated again.

_”Hm? Oh, well since you’re being such a good sport, let me give you a hypothetical. You get a puppy. It’s the cutest, most adorable little puppy you’ve ever seen, and all it does all day is wander around your house on its stumpy little legs, doing nothing more than playing with you and enjoying its pointless life to the fullest.”_

There was a beat.

_”Then all of the sudden, the puppy starts coughing blood.”_

Sweat beaded down Ren’s forehead. Ichi gave him a strange look, and he couldn’t blame her. There was something familiar about these words, even though he knew this was the first time he heard this diatribe before.

_”Of course, you’re shocked, so you take him to a vet. But the vet says ‘Sadly, this is natural, this puppy simply has a condition that makes it die young, unfortunately you can’t defy genetics’. Because science and logic are the two guaranteed factors in the natural chaos of the world. Buf of course, you can’t accept that, so you run home with your puppy and try to take care of him. You give him extra pats and belly scratches, tickle his nose and give him treats, make sure he gets lots of good walks and sunlight, but…”_

His throat felt dry. Why? He was stronger than this. Why? Why? Why?

_”That dumb little puppy somehow got dumber. He began to hit his head into walls, and chew on plastic. It stumbled off high places, and gnawed on its tail. All the while hacking up blood. You babyproof the house. And it still finds a way. Thunk. One night you find it passed out after falling down some steps. Hiss. Another night, it’s half submerged in a running sink. Woosh. One more night, and it’s going through your trash, desperately chewing at raw meat. And finally you understand.”_

“Don’t.”

_”It’s been begging for you to kill it this entire time.”_

“Shut up…” He was feeling dizzy. He was feeling sick. He wanted to vomit.

_”That puppy has been suffering while you’ve been offering it hollow kindness. Belly rubs won’t soothe the pain. Extra treats just tear at its sore throat. The sun, high in the sky during your walks, is only burning at its tired eyes. You knew it would die, but you were too scared to act. Too unprepared. But you love that puppy, don’t you? Either way the puppy dies. So the question isn’t a question of saving. But ‘slowly’ or ‘quickly’.”_

He didn’t realize when he dropped to one knee. Her words were practically worming into his brain, his head burning. Was this some sort of spell? His eyelids felt heavy. His body felt heavy. His mind felt heavy. 

_”So you pick up one of biggest stones you can find…”_

Everything went dark.

* * *

A dark city. Covered in shadow. Drenched in Shadows. A dark river of blood ran down the streets. There were no humans left except for one. Just a massive moon to illuminate everything, and a deepening feeling of sickness. A figure hovered in the air. Features impossible to make out. A god? No. An angel? Impossible. A demon. Nothing but a demon. 

A demon. A demon. A savior? A demon. A demon. A demon.

A lone human facing down a demon. How many days had passed since she had been the only one left? The madness had already begun to set in. No, it had already wormed its way inside. When her only thoughts had been of survival, that’s when she had lost her humanity. When she laughed after gouging a Shadow with her bare hands. That had been a Shadow. Right? Right. Definitely. Everyone was a Shadow. She was the only human left. That’s how it was. That was her ending.

Right. Right. Right. Wrong. Right. She was right. Of course she was right.

Her auburn hair looked more of a dull brown under the oppressive moonlight. It had long lost its shine. Her silver hairpin looked just as dull and lifeless. Alongside her skin. And her fingernails. And the dark bags under her eyes. But not her eyes. Her eyes were vibrant and shining with life. Vibrant, red, and shining with life.

Red, like the river of blood she was standing in. Blood, like the stains on her skirt. Stains, like the ones the Shadows left everywhere. Shadows. Shadows. Shadows. She just had to destroy the Shadows. Her only purpose was to destroy the Shadows.

She looked up at the ~~demon~~ with her vibrant eyes. It stared back at her, with eyes that were a clear, shining blue. Holy eyes. Divine eyes. Divine judgement? Impossible. She couldn’t be judged by a demon. Her fingertips, gnarled and blackened, gripped at a sharp naginata. 

No, it wasn’t sharp anymore. It was dull. Now it took too long. The Shadows screamed for too long when she pinned them. She hated the noise they made. Absolutely hated it.

Hated it. Hated it. Hated it. Loved it? Hated it. Hated it. Hated. Hate.

She had resorted to beating them now. Blunt. Until they stopped making noise. Until ~~she~~ they stopped crying for help. 

The blue-eyed thing kept staring at her, as if she were pitiful. She wasn’t pitiful. She really, really wasn’t pitiful. It drew closer to her, holding out a hand. The blue-eyed thing was woman shaped. The thing was beautiful. Covered in jewelry with tanned skin. A goddess? A demon. A monster. A thing.

The shadows on the walls shifted. 

The Shadows on the walls shifted.

Her head hurt as the thing got closer. A thrall. A thrall that was effective against people. Girls. Women. A contradiction. She was a girl, and she was her. She didn’t feel a thing, despite being her, and the she that she was didn’t find any sort of attraction. She was dead. A contradiction. She was alive. A contradiction. Her heart didn’t beat, therefore she was dead, unless she simply couldn’t feel her heartbeat, therefore she was alive. A contradiction. The last time she ate was a month ago, therefore she was dead.

There were still Shadows she hadn’t destroyed, therefore she was alive.

The blue-eyed thing didn’t leave, but rested a hand on her cheek. 

Touch. Touch. Touch. Another person’s touch. She wanted to touch the blue-eyed woman thing back. Her hands, cracked and dry, reached out to touch the things face. Caressing. Stroking. Gripping. Pulling. Peeling. Tearing. More red. The thing didn’t flinch, merely closing its eyes for a moment before speaking. A gentle voice. A kind voice. 

Kind. Kind? That was wrong. That was wrong. That was so, so wrong.

 ** _”...This is my kindness.”_** It whispered.

Her cheek felt hot. Cold. Scared. She was scared. This thing was going to kill her. This thing was killing her. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to die. She didn’t want to die. She wasn’t allowed to die. There were still Shadows. She needed to kill the Shadows. The Shadows were still here, and therefore she couldn’t die. A contradiction.

“Ah… aaaah…” 

Her lips cracked and bled as she parted them. She could feel her vocal chords pushing against her painfully dry throat. She felt herself fading. This wasn’t what she wanted. She just wanted a few more peaceful days. A few more selfish moments. She wanted to feel the sand under her. She wanted to relax in an onsen. She wanted to nap in class.

...Karaoke… she wanted to go to karaoke one more time... 

She had so many regrets. But she supposed it made sense. No matter what she had chosen, she wouldn’t have gotten a happy ending. 

A mistake. She made a mistake. A mistake. A mistake. A mistake. How many mistakes had she made?

“I’m… sorry…”

* * *

“Ren. Ren!”

He felt himself jostled. He slowly opened his eyes. 

What… was that? That wasn’t a dream. A memory? He really wanted to have more normal dreams. Hell, he'd take Yaldabaoth's shitty fake Velvet Room over these, in all honesty. Hearing Caroline screech at him would be a welcome change of pace. He looked up to see Akechi kneeling over him, his brow knit in worry. It was a rare expression. Frankly, he didn’t know Akechi was capable of making a face like that. Ren slowly sat up. He was quiet, for a moment, before turning to Akechi.

“Am I a guy?” He asked, somewhat dumbly. Akechi raised his brows, before rolling his eyes. 

“It’s really not my place to say.” The detective replied, his voice soaked with irritation. “Though with the right cosmetics, you could certainly pass for the fairer sex without much trouble.”

“How tolerant of you.” That wasn’t the sort of compliment he was looking for- he wasn’t exactly looking for a compliment to begin with, but that didn answer the question regarding the fact that he was… him, this time around. He was just having too many dreams seeing through the eyes of women. Frankly, it’d be odd if he wasn’t a bit confused.

And he was certainly more than a bit confused. That… vision- a vision was what he was going to call it- was a result of that phone call. Either directly or indirectly. He looked over, seeing a blonde boy and a young girl standing next to Ichi, who was glaring daggers at Akechi but generally not acting. Which was good. She had restraint. 

Ichi spoke quietly. “You passed out after talking to Mom, but Sophia-chan called Akechi-san who came here with Teddie-san and Dojima-chan.”

“Right…” Ren muttered.

“What was that all about, Amamiya?” Akechi asked, helping Ren to his feet. Ren wanted to make a snide remark about the fact that now Akechi was using his family name, despite crying out his given name desperately just a few seconds ago, but that sort of teasing would be counterproductive. 

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

Teddie put his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side. “Huh? On the way where?”

Ren closed his eyes for a moment. “It seems like our opponent is more impatient than we thought. So we’re going to need to be quick if we want to make it out of here alive.” He passed out, but one message was burned into his fading consciousness, alongside the image of a building that he had never visited. 

'Come fight me if you want, but hurry. You're not the only one I called, you know.'

That was enough to warrant action. If someone else was being lured there, he wanted to get there as fast as he could.

“I see…” Akechi said. “I know better than to doubt your instincts. If the endgame is encroaching upon us that quickly, then we’ll simply need to strike while the iron is hot.”

Ren nodded, before clenching his fist.

Answers. As much as he wanted them, they could wait for later. What mattered now was beating down that Wakaba-esque person before things got any worse. He looked at the small group around him, before nodding.

“Right. Let’s go!”


	19. Blade of the Heretics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouji and Rei gain more information. The Twentieth Raidou arrives.

Kyouji’s blade evenly cut through the air, missing the target cleanly as Vual ducked under the blade and recoiled with a solid kick to Kyouji’s chest. The two of them had been going at it evenly for a while, most of Kyouji’s skill being matched by Vual’s processing power mixed with the lithe physicality of Takamaki Ann’s body. Nekomata and Rei were having their hands full trying to contain Morgana, who had surrounded the five of them in a whirling wall of pure wind, blocking out potential outsiders and keeping them trapped inside. Vual had most likely set up some sort of illusionary field as well, making sure their bout would go completely uninterrupted.

“Emotion: Disappointment. Reasoning: Interpretation of Kuzunoha Kyouji’s skill differing from current actions.” Vual said, her voice in a low monotone. A thin leg kicked toward Kyouji’s head that he caught calmly, flipping the girl over and watching coldly as she hit the ground. In an instant she recovered, kicking one leg out and attempting to trip him, failing to do so and knocking her heel into his shin instead.

“Normally I’d be summonin’ demons to handle you, but considerin’ you’re borrowing the body of a lovely young lady, I have to hold myself back a bit.” He replied, eyes narrowing as he took a step back as Vual stood up straight, cracking their neck before staring at Kyouji with a cool, dignified glare.

It was certainly a complicated situation. He could restrain himself against opponents that were weaker than him, but this girl would have been an issue to fight whether she was possessed or not. The chick had an insane amount of magical and spiritual power. Rei probably noticed before he did, but she was practically glowing with energy. Frankly, none of those ‘Phantom Thieves’ were good at hiding their spiritual energy. Amamiya was constantly lit up like a phantasmal bushfire, for one. The cat was the only one with some competency in that area.On the topic of this Takamaki girl, there was no doubt she was a powerful spellcaster, even untrained. Given the right tutelage, she'd probably turn out to be a pretty powerful shrine maiden or onmyouji. 

Of course, most young women didn’t have any interest in onmyoudou, and only traditional japanese girls ended up being shrine maidens, so he didn’t consider that line of thinking further. The point was that she was strong, and fighting her was a pain, and it’d be so much easier if he could just run her through with a sword. Given that Rei knew the Samarecarm spell, he probably could get away with that, but that was more so for bringing one back from the brink than legitimate revival. He used his blade to block a spinning kick from the possessed young girl, the force of it causing him to skid backward on the Yongen-Jaya pavement.

While they were walled-in, they had caused a great deal of damage to the area that they were enclosed in. He preferred collateral damage to lives, however, although he would rather leave no real trace at all. 

“All right, let’s do this.” He readied his blade, a thin layer of ice covering it before he swung the blade toward the girl with a grunt. “Mabufula!” He yelled, as a wide burst of ice spread outward. The girl sprinted forward through it, the cold not seeming to stop her movement, but he could see that a decent amount of damage had been done. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a spellcaster like Rei, but he could at least pull off a few tricks.

“Engaging Pseudo-Persona. Activating: Reverse Carmen. High Level Spell: Agidyne.” She said in reply, a shadowy form flickering before her before spitting out a massive wave of flame toward him. His COMP flickered, words appearing on the screen.

[|| Enigma-race Demon Summon - Processing... - SUMMON OK ||] 

A form burst forth from digital mesh. A man of Indian origin, draped in vibrant green robes and armed with a shining silver bow. He rested atop a shining, multicolored parrot that screeched toward the flames as they approached.

“Kama!” Kyouji yelled. “Put up a barrier!

 _“Hmph, watch your tone, Summoner. But I shall do as you wish this time.”_ The demon scoffed, before firing four of the arrows in a rectangular pattern. They hovered in the air before a shining wall of magical energy formed between all four arrows, rendering the incoming flames inert. The demon notched a fifth arrow, divine almighty energy beginning to gather on the tip of the arrow, the air itself beginning to bend and stretch around it as Judgement was being prepared. _”You’re struggling with such a young girl? How pitiful. Watch as I show you the strength of a true god. Rejoice, young lady. You shall die to the God of Love.”_

“Hey- hey hey hey!” Kyouji waved his arms. “Listen to me! Stop!” The god stopped as Vual continued her advance, looking over at Kyouji with an annoyed huff. “We’re not trying to kill or heavily wound her, so unless you’ve got a less radical spell, I suggest you hold back and attack physically.”

There was a beat of silence as Vual continued sprinting toward them, two flaming whips manifesting in her grip, she swung them toward Kyouji and Kama as the demon rolled his eyes, spinning the bow and using it to tie up one of the flaming whips, before yanking the bow back, throwing Vual off balance and sending her flying toward the demon. The parrot the demon was resting on let out another screech, headbutting the girl and sending her back flying. Kama repeated this several times, as if Vual were some sort of human-shaped ping-pong ball, before seemingly growing bored. Kyouji watched with a frown.

“I know Kama has Mudoon… maybe he just wanted to have some fun beforehand?” Any spell that would instantly suck the vitality out of an opponent was probably the best call, but considering the personality of the demon he summoned, ending things in such an anticlimactic way would probably just upset Kama.

“...Physical condition: Pained. Emotional condition: Humiliated. Host influence: Resulting in new condition. New condition name: ‘Pissed Off’.” Vual groaned, standing up, wobbling as Kama laughed heartily.

_”Ah-hah! I’d recognize that boring, loveless tone anywhere. Duke of Lucifer’s Army, Vual! What an odd form you’ve chosen. I can tell that vessel is one belonging to the realm of the Lovers, meaning it is a very poor fit for you.”_

“Enigma-race Demon: Kamadeva. God of Love of the Hindu Pantheon. Alignment: Light-Neutral. Designation: Enemy.” Vual droned, summoning two more flaming whips.

Kama raised an eyebrow. _”Hooh? Oh-hoh. Vassal Summoner, may I continue to play with this foolish demon god? I will allow you to join in on the fun, or at least play support to my whimsy.”_

Kyouji sighed, shaking his head. “Just… show some restraint, Kama.”

 _”I will, my Vassal. After all, this girl is a young beauty. To sully her features would be a sin! And they’re currently being wasted on Vual! So, as a God of Love, I must free her from this horrid spell!”_ Kama announced in a booming voice, as the parrot he was resting on spread its wings and took off into the air in a burst of rainbow feathers. Kyouji drew his sword as he ran toward Vual, who was trying to divide her attention between the airborne Kama and the grounded Kyouji. The Devil Summoner smirked. If the demon was in his natural form, it would most likely be a simple task, but considering that he had to work his best with the girl’s purely human brain power. It didn’t matter if she was a bona fide genius- focusing on the attacks of a seasoned fighter and a god wasn’t going to be easy.

That was the one downside to possession. Well, usually there were two- the first being that the human host was generally weaker, but that was irrelevant. The main downside here was that no matter what, Vual was stuck with a human body, and therefore more human limitations. That’s why demons generally only possessed humans for infiltration purposes, and they rarely lasted that long. Arrows began raining from the sky as Vual tried to deflect them with bursts of flame, while still holding Kyouji back with the flaming whips. The arrows were falling at an incredible rate- perhaps far too fast for Kyouji’s comfort, and he could hear Kama laughing haughtily all the way in the air.

“I should have summoned Heimdall for this.” He said calmly, wincing as his chest was struck by one of the flaming whips. He stumbled back, drawing his sword and slicing twice, cleanly cleaving the opposing weapons in half before slamming his heel into Vual’s leg, and then chest, and then slamming the blunt end of his blade into the possessed girl’s face, causing her to crumple on the ground to her knees, blood dripping from her nose.

 _”Summoner! Her features!”_ He heard Kama whine from up above.

“I’ll heal it later.” He replied with a casual wave of his hand. He kneeled in front of her, grabbing her hair and slamming her face into the pavement over and over. After each slam, he cast a small bit of healing magic, returning her face to normal before slamming it into the pavement again. Over and over, making it so that the feeling of pain would be fresh. Harsh, sure, but demons only understood strength.

“Ghkk- condition… pained. Pain. Pain. Pain.” Vual muttered again and again. To anyone who knew Niijima Sae and Takamaki Ann, this would be an absurd sight, only rectified with the fact that neither of them were themselves at the moment. “Self… destruct… only option, to self-destruct… casting high-rank spell inside…”

“No, no, no.” Kyouji said. “We had a deal, Vual. If you’re thinking about killing yourself, that means you concede.” 

The demon was quiet for a moment, before slumping her head slightly. Despite her usually expressionless features, Kyouji could finally see a hint of a frown. “Understood…” She mumbled. “Condition update: Defeated. Any information about the current situation will be relayed to Kuzunoha Kyouji, as per the grounds of agreement.”

“Good girl.” Kyouji patted her head, before looking over to the side at Nekomata and Rei. “How are you two doing over there?” 

_”We’re doing fine, nya! Reiho-san’s just having a bit of trouble landing a Charmdi spell…”_

“This cat is a really small target!” Rei whined. “Just- come on!” He watched as several sparks of light shot from her hands, and the black cat darted and ducked around all of them. “Hold him down, Nekomata!”

 _”Nyou want me to manhandle another cat? How lewd, me-ow...”_ Nekomata purred, tail swishing playfully as she continued to watch Rei miss Morgana again and again.

 **“Shut up and do it, Nekomata!”** Rei and Kyouji yelled in exasperated unison.

 _”Eep-! Fine, fine. I can get a hint… no need for such a catastrophic cattitude…”_ The feline demon crouched down on all fours, before darting toward Morgana with incredible speed. Morgana prepared to dodge before Nekomata disappeared in a puff of smoke, before suddenly appearing behind Morgana at a bizarre angle, wrapping her hands around the small cat and drawing him close. Morgana wriggled as Rei approached closer, resting a hand on the cat’s head. Morgana was engulfed in a warm light, before going limp in Nekomata’s arms. 

“And that’s all the hostiles down…” Rei muttered, as Kama returned from the sky, and the wind wall fell downward. “Still, while there weren’t any human casualties, I can’t say the same for Sakura-san’s store. Vual burnt it to a crisp just to force us outside for this fight…”

The demon didn’t seem to show any regrets, just sitting quietly. Rei stood up, approaching her before kneeling down in front of the demon. The two of them locked eyes. “So, Duke Vual. We’d like to know everything possible about the ritual you’re conducting. But… I do have a question before that.”

“Understood, Priestess Reiho. What is your inquiry?” The demon asked, casually with glassy eyes.

“Both you and Purson have been rather agreeable. How many of you are like that?”

“Answer: Out of the thirteen, approximately 6 including Lord Purson and myself would be more affable toward humanity. This is not due to personal kindness, but ennui.”

“Ennui…?” Kyouji asked, rubbing his chin. “Can you elaborate more, please?”

Vual nodded. “Elaboration: Some of us are simply growing tired of the process. We have enacted this ritual approximately 10,000 times. Statement: Demon Lord Purson expressed listlessness around 5,000 times. Opinion: I have only begun to recently yearn for a change of pace.”

Kyouji blinked. “Wait, ten thousand? That’s impossible. We would have heard something about it, wouldn’t we?”

Vual tilted his head to the side. “Impossible. Fact: It would be utterly impossible for you to receive word of any annihilated worlds, unless someone managed to successfully travel between timelines. However, such an act in and of itself is a breach of the Great Will’s credo, and would result in instant elimination.”

Rei’s brow furrowed. “Communication… between timelines?”

“Don’t fuck with us, Vual. What do you mean?” Kyouji snarled.

Kama rolled his eyes. _”Rather slow on the uptake, aren’t you, Summoner?”_

Nekomata nodded, casually tossing back her long hair. _”Seems rather simple, nya… it just means that Lord Gomory and his demons have been destroying entire timelines again and again with their ritual. Again and again and again, ten thousand times. Right, Duke Vual?”_

“Correct. The ritual is to call forth a being not of this world, and when it appears, the Great Will, ~~**YHVH**~~ destroys everything around it, including the universe. However, while the Great Will is a divine concept, it has a limited amount of energy. That is simple logic. Nothing has infinite power or infinite energy.”

Rei grimaced. “So… what’s the goal?”

“I think I know.” Kyouji muttered. “They’re overtaxing ‘God’. Eventually, the concept of ‘God’, the ‘Great Will’, whatever, is going to run out of power and eventually either fizzle out…”

“Correct. Meaning the end of all things. Existence will come to an end, returning to how it was before life started. And then existence will have two options. Completely restart, or remain in a stagnant state of nothingness.”

 _”...So this beyond simply redefining either ‘godliness’ or ‘demonkind’, or revising the world order. This is the total destruction of the world order… but… why would you pursue such a heretical task?”_ Kama asked, shining eyes narrowing.

Vual was quiet, and for the first time, a look of genuine confusion seemed to cross the demon’s face. “...Error. Unable to answer.”

 _”Hm? Lord Vual not having an answer?”_ Nekomata tilted her head. _”Not even a teensy guess?”_

Vual began trembling. “Error. Unable to answer. Error. Error. Error. Ending possession. Destroying Demon Duke Vual. Our God wishes it. She Desires It. Thy Heretical Lips Shall Speak No More. The Path To Knowledge Is Paved With Blood. Your Actions Are Pointless. The Only Path Remaining For You Is A ‘Bad Ending’. The Grounds Of This Sinful World Will Be Razed By The Flames Of Heaven. Foolish. Foolish. Error. Error. Deleting Demon Duke Vual From This Timeline. Error.”

Kyouji gripped the demon’s shoulders. “Wait- what the hell are you--!” 

Takamaki Ann’s body slumped forward suddenly, as Rei quickly moved closer, putting her hand to the girl’s forehead. “...He… that demon actually deleted itself from this girl.”

_”Nyahh… how scary…”_

Kama rubbed his chin. _”Normally, we demons do retain our memories of our different summons and masters, despite the timeline, due to the transient nature of the Collective Unconsciousness. But… I suppose even I have been experiencing a few ‘blind spots’. Do you believe that those are the destroyed timelines?”_

Kyouji rubbed his chin. “Possibly… but…”

“Tacking onto what Vual just said, and our knowledge of Gomory, it seems as if we’re fighting a losing battle. Or perhaps not even fighting a battle to begin with. If the existence of demons is transient, then Gomory and the others wouldn’t have to fully worry about eradication. They could just reform and move onto the next timeline. But us…”

 _”Humans exist in one capacity, because humanity is defined by experiences and memories. There could be another Kuzunoha Kyouji and Priestess Reiho Rei, but they’d technically be different because your experiences would differ. If this timeline is destroyed, then you’d die for good.”_ Kama said, calmly. _”...Extinction. Thousands of times, these callous demons have committed global-- no, universal extinction. As a god, I cannot allow this.”_

Nekomata quickly nodded in agreement. _”Even if we’re fighting a losing battle, we can still pull it off and save everyone! We just gotta, like, beat Gomory before Raidou XL shows up and performs the Gehenna ritual, right? Then both the world and Tokyo are safe!”_

Kyouji was quiet, as Rei lightly shook his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

“This isn’t a losing battle. We’re like a plank of wood that thinks it can swim against a current. As in, we can’t, and it’s childish to pretend that we could.” He replied, bluntly. “Gomory can see the future, and Vual is too straightforward to lie. At some point, we either made the wrong choice, or we were woefully unprepared, but…”

Rei bit her lip. “It’s definitely like waking up and finding out you had an exam you didn’t know about. Sure, we’re playing it by ear, but…” 

“That, and the Twentieth Raidou. That… Gehenna ritual… something’s telling me that this is a factor in everything that’s going on.” He sighed, rubbing his temples. “Frankly, we’re well and truly fucked.”

 _”Nyah?! Lord Summoner is acting awfully pessimistic. What’s the deal? That’s unattractive, Kyouji.”_ Nekomata said, slapping him on the back of his head with her tail.

Kama chuckled. _”If there’s one thing that you humans are good at, it’s turning the tables on a perceived impossible situation. Therefore, it is within reason that you’d be able win this time around.”_

“...Right.” Rei nodded, slowly. “We’re veterans in the field of working against the odds. Besides, it’s our duty as Kuzunoha to fight to the bitter end, even if it’s fruitless.”

Kyouji scoffed. “If you’d let me finish, I was gonna say that anyway. I already said I wasn’t giving up on this place earlier, right?” He got up to his feet, stretching. “As the wielder of the Kyouji title, I’ll take on anything that threatens Japan, and the world at large. That’s the damn job I was saddled with, and I’ll make damn sure I’m successful!”

Nekomata grimaced. _”Yikes… now he’s literally too confident… we gassed him up too much.”_

Kama laughed. _”Wonderful! Wonderful! Such human arrogance is the cornerstone of love!”_

The four of them, filled with renewed vigor prepared to discuss a battle plan, before a chill came through the air. Time seemed to slow to a halt, before the sound of screaming pierced the air. A man burst from one of the houses in Yongen-Jaya. He ran toward them, stumbling, focusing only on Kyouji and Rei as the demons were rendered invisible to the common eye. 

“H-help! You gotta help! My family is-- There’s this kid- this kid- I-- ah, it’s coming!” The man turned around, before a blade was thrown through the air. In a scene that seemed almost cut from a movie, he was cleaved cleanly in half by the spinning airborne blade as it shot through the air, clattering to the ground some distance behind Rei and Kyouji. The two investigators turned to the blade, watching as it seemed to flicker with a subtle green energy, before being summoned back to where it came from.

“That energy…” Rei whispered.

“Magnetite.” Kyouji narrowed his eyes. “That’s the blade of the Devil Summoner.”

“I thought the Kyouji clan were the only ‘hitokiri’ in the Kuzunoha family.”

“They should be. But I didn’t kill that guy.”

The two of them turned as a figure emerged from the house where the man had come from. They looked young, most likely not over the age of eighteen. They wore a black cape over a dark, blood-soaked school uniform. Several tubes were strapped to the uniform, next to a holster holding a handgun. Dark, unkempt black hair that dangled past the figure’s face, covering his eyes under dark bangs. From behind the bangs, only one dead eye was visible. Their body was covered with a myriad of bandages, wrapping around the arms, the neck, and even one of the eyes. The sound of a crow sounded, as Rei and Kyouji quickly looked up to the source of the noise. 

A crow with three legs was perched, several red jewel magatama tied around its neck.

“Yatagarasu.” Kyouji hissed. “Damn, they’re acting faster than I thought!”

Rei gasped. “So then that child is…”

The youth pointed the blade, still covered in a mixture of the green magnetite energy and the blood of the man it had just cleaved. Kyouji stepped in front of Rei, the unconscious Ann and Morgana, and his demons- and drew his own blade.

“I am Kyouji of the Kuzunoha clan. Who are you?"

The youth was silent for a moment, before speaking. Their words were stuttered and strained, as if they both weren’t used to speaking, and it was painful to do so.

“...The Twentieth. Raidou. Of the Kuzunoha. You are. My Senpai? You are. A Heretic. Therefore. I will kill you. That is. God’s Will.”

Kyouji grit his teeth. “Seems like we skipped some steps in our relationship, kid. But I’ll teach you to show some respect to your elders.”

The Twentieth Raidou tilted their head, their expressions even more robotic than the cold demon that Kyouji had just fought. “Respect? I only. Respect God. Her word. Is my impetus. I do not. Respect heretics. Heretics oppose God. And those who. Oppose Her word. Are worthless.” 

With blinding speed, Raidou seemed to almost teleport forward, inches away from Kyouji as he swung his sword toward the older Devil Summoner’s neck. One visible dead, empty, hollow eye bored into Kyouji’s memory. 

“Therefore. You will die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raidou the XL is canon to the greater SMT universe, but considering that this is a vastly different timeline than where the canon one came from, my take is going to be a bit different from here on out.


End file.
